THE WAY
THE WAY
The Way
THE WAY A book for players and game masters.
The Way of Magic Magical Practices Minor Magic Long-Form Magic The Endless Grimoire: General Spells Vance Spells The Maker’s Matrix Weaver Threads (Aggregates) Goetic Summoning Character and House Secrets Ephemera Objects of Power
4 6 24 28 46 54 58 64 74 84 98 110
The Changeries
Glossary Index
2
The Gate ,
116
page 136 The Gate , page 145
THE KEY The Alchemy of Lies and Truth 4 Characters 10 Statistics and Skills 24 Order 34 Heart 64 Forte 70 Soul 138 Foundation 144 Character Arcs 162 Money and Goods 180 The First Session 194 Advancing Characters 202
THE PATH Precepts 4 The Path of Suns 34 The City of Satyrine 64 Fartown 98 Organizations 106 Inhabitants of the Actuality 120
THE GATE Gameplay 4 Actions 16 Advanced Rules Modules 34 Gamemastering 46 The Sooth Deck 72
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THE WAY OF MAGIC
S
hadow is a completely distorted image of the real world—the Actuality. But honestly? Shadow gets only one thing wrong. It doesn’t have any magic. Magic is at the very heart of existence. The universe wasn’t just made by a spell—it is a spell. It’s an ongoing magical eect, and frankly none of us really knows its full extent, its ultimate fruition, or what happens when the spell depletes. Or, of course, who cast it. (Whomever did left behind the clues and remnants collectively called the Legacy. Perhaps they are a part of the spell as well.) In any event, magic is the blood that ows through the veins of the universe. And the heart that pumps that blood is the Invisible Sun. Magic is the answer to every question that begins with “why.” It is far larger than any one vislae, any one god, any one order or organization, no matter how vast. In fact, it is bigger than the sum of all the vislae, all the gods, and all the orders. Magic has not been mastere d. Don’t let anyone— vislae or not—tell you otherwise. Not all of its secrets have been learned. Not all its depths plumbed. This book, The Way, is so named because it is the means toward that unachievable end. You cannot learn all the secrets of magic. But don’t you want to try anyway?
THE PATH Shadow, page 52 Actuality, page 5
THE PATH Legacy, page 6
Throughout these books, you’ll see page references to various items accompanied by the following symbols and colors. These are page references to other books within The Black Cube, where you can nd additional details about that item, place, creature, or concept. It isn’t necessary to look up referenced items in the books, but doing so will provide useful information for character creation and gameplay.
THE WAY
THE PATH
THE KEY
THE GATE
THE KEY Order, page 34
Some would say that it is Shadow’s cruelest trick that it doesn’t allow the Grey to experience magic, the most fundamental aspect of the Actuality, and—in many vislae’s minds—the only reason to live.
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MAGICAL PRACTICES
M
agic is sometimes called the Invisible Church. Or the Church of the Invisible Sun. It is the re that burns at the heart of the world’s furnace, as they say, but in truth it’s even more than that. It’s the furnace itself as well. And the rest of the world to boot. Practices is a term used to describe all the various magical applications known to vislae—spells, charms, hexes, rituals, processes, secrets, and so on. Some also like the catch-all term “magical workings.” The various kinds of practices include (but are not limited to): Spells: The basic, quickly cast form of vislae magic. Cantrips: Very minor spells. Charms: Minor eects, usually defensive or beguiling. Signs: Minor eects, always defensive. Hexes: Minor eects, usually oensive or curses. Rituals: Long-form magic that requires multiple casters. Enchantments: Long-form magic that aects objects. Conjurations/Invocations/Evocations: Longform magic that requires ingredients, tools, and so on. Incantations: Fleeting applications of magical knowledge that come to the mind of a vislae, are used, and then itter away. Processes: Large, magical workings that require a variety of ingredients, devices, time, and permanent structures. The most obvious examples are the changeries.
Precepts: Rules of reality that vislae understand, like numerology, the importance of souls, the ways of demons, and so on. (These are so fundamental to the setting that they are fully described in their own chapter in The Path, rather than in this book.) Secrets: Things you can do because you understand a loophole or shortcut in the precepts of reality. And there’s more. There are various powers and abilities that are taught by orders, that manifest as aspects of a vislae’s forte, or that come naturally to a given creature, like the elderbrin’s ability to change their shape. Beyond magical practices, there are the results of practices, such as ephemera, objects of power, kindled items, and more.
THE PATH Precepts, page 5
THE PATH Elderbrin, page 30
THE KEY Venture, page 22 Venture is the sum of all the bonuses a character can bring together to help them succeed on an action. When using a magical practice, the most signicant is likely the level of the practice itself. Challenge is the number chosen by the GM to rate the diculty of the action (usually the level of the thing being aected by the practice). Subtract the venture from the challenge and that’s the number you need to roll on your die to succeed.
USING A MAGICAL PRACTICE Spells, incantations, hexes, charms, and so on always require an action to use unless the description specically states otherwise. So-called “long-form magic” like invocations and rituals take much longer. Each individual type of practice may have more information in its own chapter.
ROLLING FOR THE EFFECT Most of the time, you roll to see if the practice takes eect, and you always add the level of the eect to the venture. The challenge is the level of the target modied by defenses or other factors. That means if you’re casting a charm on an unsuspecting person, you use their level as the challenge. If you’re casting a spell to open a sealed gateway, you use the gateway’s level as the challenge. If you’re casting
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a spell to remove a disease that ravishes your own body, you use the disease’s level as the challenge. And so on. You don’t need to roll to see if a practice takes eect if: You’re casting or performing it on yourself. You’re casting or performing it on a being that wants it to take eect, even if they ’re unaware. Example: you cast a healing spell on your unconscious friend. It has no direct eect on any being or object. Example: you cast a spell that raises the room temperature by 10 degrees. The temperature, or even the air, isn’t really an object. It conjures or creates something (unless otherwise noted in the description). It aects an object with no meaningful level. Example: you cast a spell that turns cheese into chocolate, and the cheese has no level (and no one wants to waste game time trying to determine what the level of cheese should be). Another, perhaps easier way to look at it is this: you roll only if the practice aects something and that something doesn’t want to be aected. T his only works, of course, if you assume that inanimate objects don’t want to be altered in any way.
Phantasmal Environment: see Spell Deck Remember, casting a spell (or using any magical practice) on yourself is dierent from casting a spell on something aecting you, like a disease. In the former, no roll is needed. In the latter, it likely is, and the level of the eect (such as the disease) is the challenge.
THE KEY Sorcery, page 27 Bene, page 25 Expansive Endeavor, page 88 Magnicent Endeavor, page 90 Elevate Spells, page 88 Magnify Spells, page 90 Divine Ability, page 87
Sometimes, you use your action to activate an eect, but the roll comes later. For example, if you cast Phantasmal Environment, you don’t need to make a roll until someone interacts with it. In such a case, if you’re unaware that someone is interacting with it, the GM should just compare the level of the spell to the level of the NPC. If the spell’s level is higher, the NPC is aected and believes the illusion.
TIME REQUIREMENTS OF MAGIC Spells, minor magic, ephemera, and most objects of power take only one action to cast or use. That means just one round. As a general rule, the action of using the magic encompasses the most important part of the eect. So the action of casting a summoning spell that conjures a spirit produces the spirit. The action of casting an incantation that blasts a foe with re is that attack on the foe. If a spell divines the answer to a question, you get the answer as a part of that action (unless noted otherwise). In other words, if a magical practice creates a thing that has one use, like a spear of ice that you throw, using that thing is part of the action of the spell. If a practice creates or summons an object, creature, or eect that persists, like a tool you can
USING BENE WITH MAGICAL PRACTICES Above and beyond whatever Sorcery cost is required to create the eect (which is almost always equal to the practice’s level), any character can add 1 to the venture of a magical action by spending 1 bene. A character with the Expansive Endeavor and Magnicent Endeavor secrets can spend more bene to add more to the venture on a 1-for-1 basis. So adding 2 bene adds +2 to the venture. As with any use of bene, a spent bene can be used for other eects instead, including +2 damage if it is an attack. A character with the Elevate Spells and Magnify Spells secrets can add b ene to increase the magical practice’s level. Not only will this improve the venture (again, on a 1-for-1 basis) but it will also increase any level-based portions of the eect, such as damage. If a practice creates a physical attack that can be aimed, like launching a bolt of energy at a target, the vislae can use Accuracy bene rather than Sorcery bene to increase the venture. This is true for all spells, long-form magic, and Weaver-created eects. The level of ephemera and objects of power cannot be modied by the user. Minor magic, Goetic summoning, and Makers using the Maker’s Matrix cannot take advantage of these rules. Last, all characters can increase the level of their forte abilities to 10 by spending additional bene without knowing any special secrets (and those with the secret Divine Ability can increase it to level 17).
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use all day, the ability to speak eloquently, or a gun that you can shoot over and over, then the act of creation is the action of the spell, and using the thing is a dierent action. Long-form magic, by its very nature, does not abide by these rules.
Long-form magic, page 28
OTHER REQUIREMENTS OF MAGIC Most magic that is “cast” (like spells, signs, incantations, and so on) requires the speaking of words and at least minor gestures. Magic that is used or activated (like ephemera objects, or forte abilities) rarely have such requirements.
Signs, page 27
THE KEY Spells, page 22 Incantations, page 23
RESISTING EFFECTS You always get a chance to resist an eect being cast upon you that you don’t want. However, sometimes you must suer the eects of an eect not cast directly on you. Consider, for example, if someone casts a spell that inverts gravity in a room of a house. If you enter that room, you don’t get a chance to resist that spell—it wasn’t cast on you. You simply must deal with the reorientation of gravity in the room. Sometimes, this happens very quickly. If someone conjures a bolt of electricity that arcs toward you, you’re not really “resisting” the spell so much as dodging the electrical bolt. You’d use your Dodge defense in this case, not your Resist defense. Dodging a spell eect is dierent from resisting an eect on you. Diving for cover when magic causes an explosion is dierent from resisting someone trying to turn your arm into an angry snake or take control of your mind. Regardless of any of this, however, you can always be aected by any eect directed at you if you want to be.
EFFECT LEVEL Spell or eect level is a single number that holds a lot of information. The cost to cast or perform a practice is equal to its level in Sorcery bene. Level is also the number you add to your venture when you cast or perform the practice to see if it takes eect.
Ephemera object, page 23 Forte abilities, page 74
THE KEY Dodge, page 32 Resist, page 32
If you are aected by an eect and it gives you an ongoing condition you do not want (like continuing damage, being frozen solid, being struck blind), you can use rest actions to end the condition. See Resting and Refreshing Pools, The Key, page 29.
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Fingersnakes
For spells, casters who know the proper secret (Elevate Spells) can spend an additional Sorcery bene to increase a spell’s level when the y cast it. This aects the number added to the venture and other factors, such as damage for many attack spells. Without Elevate Spells, casters can add additional Sorcery bene using the same limitations of any other action, but all a bene of Sorcery does in this case is add +1 to the venture or grant an additional eect, just like with any action. The level of the spell remains the same. Casters using spells that can be aimed, like Stone Pistol or Thaumaturgic Strike, can use bene from Accuracy rather than Sorcery. Using other magical practices is a similar process, except that a vislae cannot increase the level of minor magic, an ephemera, or objects of power. The secrets Elevate Spells and Magnify Spells work with long-form magic as well as spells.
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Elevate Spells, page 88
THE GATE Using Bene for Eect, page 22
Eect level also determines how many Acumen one must spend to learn a spell (minimum 1) and how long it takes (each eect level is equal to about three days of intense study). Last, if the practice creates something, the level dictates the level of the creation (unless otherwise stated).
COLORS Stone Pistol, see Spell Deck Thaumaturgic Strike, see Spell Deck Magnify Spells, page 90 When determining a Weaver’s impromptu eect level, GMs and players will want to assign it a color as well, using these guidelines.
Spells and other magical abilities are almost always tied to color, just like the suns. Thus, a spell can be blue, green, red, and so on. This association has to do with the nature of the color. In this instance, the natures are dened in these ways: Silver: Creation. Practices that create something from nothing are silver. Green: The Quickening. This broad category includes any practice that involves motion and, by association, anything alive, at least as it pertains to the essence of its life. Thus, a spell that moves an
Magical Practices
EXTRA DAMAGE Spells or eects that deal damage normally deal it in an amount equal to the spell’s level (spells that inict Wounds directly work dierently). An increase in spell’s level, then, will also increase the damage. However, if a caster wants to increase only the damage and not the level, 1 additional Sorcery bene equals 2 points of additional damage (1 point if an area or multiple target spell). Of course, without knowledge of a secret like Expansive Endeavor, you can’t add more than 1 additional Sorcery per action. Extra bene can also be used for additional eects; see The Gate, page 22.
object, a spell that grants levitation, and a spell that closes a Wound are all green spells. Blue: The Mind. Telepathy, mindreading, memory alteration, dream modication, most emotional eects, and similar eects are blue. Blue practices never directly impact the physical world. Indigo: Truth. Divinations, revelations, and eects that improve the senses fall into the indigo category. This also includes spells of communication and translation. Grey: Illusion. Any practice that hides, deceives, disguises, confuses, or otherwise involves falsehood is grey. Pale: Piercing the Veil. As the living travel to the Pale when they die, pale eects are those that physically reach beyond the normal bounds. This includes such things as conjurations, banishments, or restoring a soul to a dead body. Red: Ruin. Red eects are those that harm something else, be it living, dead, inanimate, spirit, or anything else. Gold: Transformation. Practices that physically change one thing into another thing, or that simply modify the physical substance or shape of
THE KEY Wound, page 23 Bene, page 25
a thing, are all gold. This includes more abstract transformations, such as changing the weather. Invisible: Protection. In a sense, all magical practices are connected to the invisible. In another, by its very nature, invisible represents nothing. Still, vislae consider invisible practices to be all those that grant protection of any kind because they are some of the most fundamental of all magical eects. (Legends say that protection spells were the rst spells.)
BONUSES AND ENHANCEMENTS THE KEY Pool, page 25
The magical practices’ colors are tied to the overall nature of the color and associated sun, but in some cases, they might be more specic denitions of those natures than is normally associated with the color overall. Fear not, vislae. This is normal. The Actuality is a uid place of shifting denitions.
Sometimes you have to roll two or more successes to succeed. In such a case, you must have an enhancement to even have a chance, because you can’t roll two successes on one die.
Some eects give you a bene to one or more of your pools. Others grant you a bonus to a specic ac tion. A bonus to your action is always a bonus to your venture. You subtract your total venture from the challenge of the action, and the result is the number you need to roll on the die. An enhancement is an additional die you get to roll when you attempt an action. Rolling a success on either die results in a success. Sometimes, it will say “(+1 die)” in parentheses after the level. That means when you use the magical practice to aect the target, you get an enhancement of one additional die. Sometimes, an eect will grant you an enhancement on another action. This means you get to roll an additional die for that action. For example, if you need a 4 on the die aft er subtracting your venture from your challenge, and you get to roll +1 die thanks to the ability you are using, you roll two dice, and if you get a 4 or higher on either die, you succeed. The parenthetical “+1 die” (or +2 or even +3 dice) is a good indicator of which eects require a roll to successfully activate this eect. +1 die means that you probably need to roll. But there will always be odd situations where a spell doesn’t normally require a roll, but in a special circumstance, it does need a roll. In this case, even when it doesn’t say you get an additional die, the thing to remember is that when making a roll to aect a target with magic, you always get at least +1 die. Remember, though, some spell eects are indirect. A spell that turns a chair into a wolf that attacks aects the chair, not the target of the wolf’s attack. An
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The Book Without Pages is a magical grimoire written on water held in spheres.
incantation that turns the air to fog isn’t aecting the people in the fog, it’s aecting the air. But really, don’t worry too much about this. Don’t overthink it. Magic is a ckle and unpredictable thing. If the GM requires a roll for an eect one time and not the next, the game’s not going to collapse in on itself. The reverse is true as well. Sometimes it will say +1 die, but the target will be willing or the situation will suggest that no roll is needed. If so, ignore the +1 die. Or perhaps the suggested additional die only occurs sometimes. If a spell aects an object, for example, a roll is usually required only if the object is signicant in some way, or in a being’s possession.
RANGES AND TARGETS Ranges are divided into four categories. If a spell aects a target within a certain range category, it could also aect a target at any shorter category (unless the spell specically says otherwise). Close: Anything close enough to touch (or touch after taking a few steps) is close. Two things next to each other are close, even if they’re not touching. (Unless the word “touch” is specically included in the description, close implies the potential of touch, not an actual touch.) Very loosely speaking, this range extends up to about 10 feet (3 m). Conversationally, this might be referred to as “point-blank range.” A practice that aects an area that encompasses this distance, more or less, is said to aect a small area. Near: Something you could reach fairly quickly is near. Often referred to as “nearby” or “short range,” it represents a distance of 10 to 50 feet (3 to 15 m). A practice that aects an area a short distance in diameter is said to aect a medium area. Far: Something you can see clearly but not reach quickly is far. Commonly referred to as “far away” or “long range,” this is a distance of about 50 to 100 feet (15 to 30 m). A magical practice that aects an area a long distance in diameter is said to aect a large area. Very Far: Something you can see but not clearly is very far. Called “very far away” or “very long range” at times, this is anything from about 100 to 500 feet (30 to 150 m). A practice that aects an area a very long
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distance in diameter is said to aect a very large area. Unless the description specically says otherwise, a solid barrier (like a wall or door) prevents a spell or other eect from being cast through it, although a certain level of logic and common sense should be used in adjudicating this. Further, to cast a spell or other eect on a target, a caster usually has to be aware of them and have a line of sight to them. There are obvious exceptions. For example, a spell that aects an area aects everything in that area, whether the caster is fully aware of it or not. A spell that specically seeks the location of a thing, by its very nature, does not require the caster to know the location of the thing. These are guidelines, not hard-and-fast rules. More denitively, the following terms specically designate what can and can’t be aected by a given eect: Target: Anything. Being: Any self-aware thing, be it human, animal, elderbrin, demon, spirit, vampire, ghost, or thoughtform. Even most quasi-intelligent constructs are considered beings. Creature: A being of esh and blood. T hus, any being other than a spirit, demon, ghost, elemental, construct, and the like. Person or People: A human, elderbrin, or something very similar. Thoughtforms that look like people can be considered people for such purposes.
MAGICAL WORKINGS AND SOOTH CARD PLAY
THE KEY Sortilege, page 27
THE PATH Thoughtforms, page 66 Minor ux events occur all the time and the possible eects are well known. Major ux events are quite uncommon because of the rarity of rolling two magic dice at all, and then only 1 in 100 times will a major failure occur. Grand ux events are once-in-a generation occurrences, as they happen only 1 in every 1,000 times that someone casts such a powerful spell or other eect that they roll three magic dice.
DEPLETION Either eects are over immediately, or they last until their magic depletes. Sometimes conditions (the rising or setting of the sun, for example) will end a spell. Other times, the amount of time is random. To determine if an ongoing spell depletes, roll a die. If the result on the die matches the depletion result, the spell ends. So if the depletion says “0 (check each round),” at the end of each round Roll a die. On a roll of a 0, the spell comes to an end that round. You can always end a spell that you cast whenever you wish it, and doing so takes no action. Further, the GM can end a PC’s spell at any time, but must award the PC 1 Despair when this happens.
THE GATE GM shift, page 9
It is the responsibility of the player to keep track of spells they cast and ongoing eects that require depletion rolls, and to make those rolls. Generally speaking, spells that need to be checked each round are checked at the end of the casting player’s turn. If a player loses track of this information, ongoing spells are assumed to have depleted.
When a new Sooth card is put into play, it modies magic based on the color of the sun and the eect. Most often, one sun’s spells and eects are made easier to use, and another sun’s are made more dicult. This applies only to eects created in the round of the card turn, unless the card is turned on the Invisible Sun, in which case it stays in eect until replaced by a new Sooth card. If an eect has no sun attached to it, the GM can make a judgment call or (perhaps more often) assume that no sun is involved.
MAGICAL FLUX Any time a magic die is cast, whether it is used as part of a magical working, gained as the result of enhancement magic, or added to the die of any task at all via Sortilege, there is a chance of magical ux. That occurs when the “extra” die—the magic die— comes up a . When this happens, a magical ux occurs, even if the overall action is successful. The magical ux is a result of a wayward discharge of magical energy or a disruption in the magical eld. The GM determines the ux eect and immediately turns a new Sooth card. Signicantly detrimental ux is sometimes accompanied by 1 Despair for the person aected. The GM can also introduce a ux eect (as a GM shift) any time a vislae uses a magical practice, whether dice are rolled or not. In this case, 1 Despair is always given to the vislae. The GM should associate the ux intensity (minor, major, or grand) with the approximate number of dice that are (or would be) rolled. For example, if a character casts a level 5 spell on themselves, they roll no die— presumably, they want to be aected by the spell. However, if they did roll for a level 5 spell, it would be 1 magic die. Thus, the ux should be minor. If the spell was level 8, the ux could be major. Flux that does not come through a GM shift occurs only when the dice are rolled. Anytime a die roll is unnecessary or avoided, there is no ux, representing that the vislae has more control in that situation.
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MINOR FLUX CHART ( ) You spoil milk and other food around you. A nearby plant withers. Animals of level 2 or lower howl or ee. You are plagued by nightmares the next night. You gain 1 vex to Sorcery. You gain 1 vex to Intellect. You gain 1 vex to Physicality. The temperature around you lowers drastically. There is a horric stench in the air for the next few hours. Someone close to you suers 2 damage. An object close to you catches re. You have a terrible headache for the rest of the day. Your face and extremities become pocked with an itchy rash for the next few hours. Nearby children begin to scream and rant for the next few minutes. Anyone you talk to for the next few hours notices your bad breath. Objects fall from nearby shelves or ledges, causing them to break or fracture. A minor item you possess disappears. You suer from a sneezing t for the next hour. Lice-like insects suddenly infest your hair or clothing. You can’t help but overeat whenever food comes near you f or the next week. A secret you wanted kept seeps into the brain of someone nearby. A cloying scent permeates the area for the next few hours. All of your clothes lose their color temporarily. You lose 1 Sortilege out of your pool. You hear a ringing in your ears. Something made of glass nearby cracks or shatters. All lights or ames nearby icker and then go out. A normally docile small creature (like a mouse) suddenly attacks you. You see a vision of someone from your Shadow life. A nearby doorway or entrance locks or unlocks. Until the next sunrise, a nearby plant grows 1 foot (30 cm) an hour.
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All sources of re suddenly are to twice their size and belch green ame before returning to normal. All nearby small food items and liquids turn into perfectly carved marble replicas. Books nearby utter and ap away from you for several minutes like dusty paper pigeons. A trail of bloody writing in an unknown language follows you for the next three hours, appearing on the nearest surface.
MAJOR FLUX CHART (
)
Your teeth fall out. Your hair turns permanently white. One of your eyes turns permanently white. You faint and cannot be roused for a few minutes. Every creature of level 4 and below within very long range is lled with fear and dread. You must resist an urge to throw yourself o edges you come near for the next few days. You gain a strange magical scar. You emit orange light when you feel anxiety for the next week. You gain 3 vex to your Sorcery pool. You gain 3 vex to your Intellect pool. You gain 3 vex to your Physicality pool. You are teleported up to 10 miles (16 km) away. You are rendered invisible, silent, and intangible for a few rounds. You suer 1 Anguish. Someone close to you suers 1 Wound. Everyone within a mile knows your name and that you just failed at a spell or practice. A random being of the same level as the original eect is summoned and appears, angry. A piece of your clothing or possessions gains intelligence and mobility. You vomit forth a ratlike being with your face that scurries o but returns later to menace you. Two of your ngers wither and fall o. You age seven years. You emit red light when you tell a lie for the next week.
Magical Practices
GRAND FLUX CHART ( You emit ashing blue light when you’re wounded for the next week. A spell or magical working you cast in the next week against an adversary aects you instead. You misplace all your ephemera objects. Sudden pain adds 3 vex to your Movement pool. Up to 100 crystal orbs in your possession turn to dust. You can’t cast one of your spells for several days. Memory lapse. You lose 2 points of Hidden Knowledge. A nearby NPC is possessed by a dead spirit. You lose all tolerance for alcohol for the next month. Your house becomes haunted by an inimical demon. All liquids (including potions) in the area evaporate. A rain of small creatures comes down from the sky. An important object in your possession crumbles and turns to ash. Nearby creatures start to speak with human voices. Someone close to you thinks you’re a stranger or an enemy for a few minutes. You go blind. All of your magical items stop working for ten minutes. The ground nearby erupts in a are of heat and re. Colors suddenly become so intense that you are forced to squint. One of your ephemera activates. All of your spells cost 1 additional Sorcery for a short amount of time. A kindled item crumbles and falls to dust. Your spell or ephemera aects a person that it wasn’t intended to. Until the next full moon, all water in a small radius becomes crystal. It can be smashed into fragments easily, but when the next full moon rises, all the crystal returns to water form. A thoughtform equal to the level of the eect is created and loosed into the world. Henceforth, you have two shadows. Sometimes casting a powerful spell (level 8 or higher) has a lingering eect on the universe, like an af terglow, that some beings can detect for weeks after ward.
)
The fabric of space or time is permanently ripped asunder. Creatures from other realms can come and go. You are driven insane. You die. Someone close to you dies. You are hurled to a completely dierent world or realm. Your physical body transforms in a bizarre way—extra limbs, rapid growth, huge tumors, or the like. An earthquake damages the entire area. Magical eects do not function in a very large area for months to come. You are pulled back into Shadow and must ght to remember the Actuality. A magical disaster burns down your house, leaving you with nothing. A powerful demon learns your soul’s name. A curse means you become violently ill and gain 1 Wound whenever a Sooth card is played on a specic sun. Your Testament of Suns (or vertula kada) disappears, spirited away to the realm of another sun. The moon appears above you in the sky during the day, eclipsing the sun. Your skin glows like an incandescent bulb permanently. You’re dicult to look at and unless you’re clothed head to toe in dark garments, you are visible at a great distance. Everyone who ever knew you forgets you. There is no record of you anywhere. You feel a power surge and gain 4 in your Sortilege pool. However, you can never refresh that pool again. THE KEY Vex, page 29
THE PATH Shadow, page 52
Testament of Suns, page 17 Vertula kada, page 16 Sortilege, page 27 Crystal orb, page 181 Hidden Knowledge, page 30
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CREATING NEW MAGICAL PRACTICES Sometimes vislae create new spells or other practices. For Vances, in fact, it’s a requirement to advance to the higher degrees. The Creation character arc is appropriate to this endeavor. At minimum, the vislae must spend two weeks of study and experimentation per level of the practice (one week for a minor magical practice.) Each week of such experimentation requires 10 crystal orbs’ worth of special materials. Once research is complete, the vislae must attempt an Intellect-based action with the level of the new practice as the challenge. Should this fail, the vislae must spend another research period equal to the amount of time spent originally, and the challenge is 1 level higher. Upon success, the vislae must spend Acumen equal to the level of the prac tice, just as if they had studied an existing practice. After a vislae has created ve new magical practices, it becomes easier. Only one week of study and experimentation per level is then required.
SPECIAL ADJUDICATION SUGGESTIONS FOR MAGIC In general, when adjudicating spells, use the intent, not the letter of the law. Magic is about making ideas reality, not adhering to strict rules. Although most spells, rituals, and so forth are straightforward enough that they are self-explanatory, or openended enough that they can be interpreted as you see t, a few areas might need a bit of additional discussion.
EFFECTS THAT REQUIRE TOUCH When a spell requires you to touch a target to aect it, this does not mean you must make two rolls (one to touch the target, and one to aect them). It merely means you have to be close enough and able to touch them. If they’re on the other side of a magical barrier, for example, the spell probably won’t work.
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THE KEY Creation character arc, page 167 Crystal orb, page 181 Intellect-based action, page 27 Acumen, page 22
When creating a new magical practice, should the vislae double the amount of time and money, they can add +1 to the action. Consulting with other vislae might also modify the venture. GMs might increase the challenge by a level if the new practice is merely a slight variation on an existing one (−1 to the challenge) or entirely dierent from anything that exists (+1 to the challenge).
THE PATH Thah, page 71
Red Presence, see Spell Deck Exquisite Pain, see Spell Deck
The touch is part of the casting of the spell, so you can’t cast the spell and “hold it” until you get close enough to touch the target.
AFFECTING A LARGE NUMBER OF TARGETS Sometimes, a spell potentially aects a crowd. Take, for example, a magical disguise that you create to make yourself look like someone else. If you walk down a busy street in Satyrine, do you make a roll to aect each and every person? No. As a general rule, for such casual, indirect eects, simply compare the level of the spell to the level(s) of the NPCs. If the spell’s level is greater, they are aected. Alternatively (and even easier), don’t worry about such things unless there is a direct interaction. So if you’re walking down the street magically disguised as a wealthy noble, everyone believes that you’re a wealthy noble, and only when you confront someone directly—say, a Thah agent—do you worry about a roll.
WHAT DO THE CASTER AND THE TARGET KNOW? Much of the time, adjudication of magic is easy. If a character casts Red Presence, the eects are obvious to the caster and anyone aected by the spell. But what about subtler magic? Generally, a character who aects a target knows if they are successful. The target, however, does not automatically know who created the eect. They only know the obvious results. If you cast Exquisite Pain, you know if the target is aected, but if you were subtle with your touch, they might not know the eect came from you. If they successfully resist the spell, they probably know that something just happened, but they don’t know precisely what spell you cast or— again, if you were subtle—that you cast a spell at all. If an eect aects someone’s mind, when the eect ends, the target is likely confused. They probably remember acting or feeling out of character, but they don’t know for certain that magic has aected them. Most people, however, are savvy enough to the ways of magic that it would be one of the rst things they suspect, depending on the circumstances.
Magical Practices 7 1
DIVINATIONS AND INFORMATION-GATHERING MAGIC In a game about secrets, it’s a special moment when a player gets to ask the GM a question about something their character shouldn’t normally know and receives an answer. Thus, magic that provides information has some special rules governing it. Eects that provide answers typically allow you to ask a question and get an answer. Sometimes, this is open ended, such as with Apperception. Other times, the question is more directed, as with Hunt the Lost. A keen eye will notice that these eects show up all over at various levels (usually no lower than level 5, but not always). This is important because each time an eect like this is used, the GM must determine a level for the answer, and a spell or other eect can’t divine an answer that is of higher level than the spell. This makes a level 9 divination far more potent than a level 5 divination (which should, obviously, be the case). Just like with most eects, a roll is needed to determine the success of the divination, but unlike in most cases, the level of the eect is not added to the venture. Since the level of the eect has already opened the door for the possibility of asking the question, you can’t count it again to determine the success of your undertaking. If the information directly involves an NPC or something else that already has a level, determining the challenge is easy. You just use the level. T his means that it’s harder to use magic to learn information about a level 7 NPC than a level 4 NPC (which, again, should obviously be the case). T his too can be modied by circumstance, usually by 1 or 2 levels in either direction. For example, the deepest secret of a level 5 NPC might be level 7. The name of the order they belong to might be only level 3 if they wear its symbol prominently. If the divination has no NPC, object, or other leveled “target,” use the following guidelines.
LEVEL 0: VERY COMMONLY KNOWN INFORMATION. Most people know this without even looking it up. Examples: What’s the tallest building in Satyrine? What’s 25 + 19? Is the War over?
Apperception, see Spell Deck Hunt the Lost, see Spell Deck
The King of Vultures seeks his blackened carrion crown.
THE PATH The Vespertine, page 114 Dark, page 62 The Vespertine is a group of sinister inltrators who ultimately serve the Dark and hate the suns.
LEVEL 3: COMMONLY KNOWN INFORMATION. This information could be found by asking around in public places or consulting a library. Examples: Who’s the gerent of the Burnham neighborhood? Where’s the Twice Told Tales bookshop? LEVEL 5: RARELY KNOWN INFORMATION. Only a handful of people (if that) know the information, although no one’s really trying to keep it secret. Examples: Where is the nearest Thah agent right now? Where did I lose the key to my house? Who accidentally left the gate open? LEVEL 7: SECRET INFORMATION. Not many people know this, and those who do are trying to keep it secret. Example: What’s the password to get into the secret meeting hall of the Vespertine on Beston Street? Where does the Carver Street gang stash their loot? Who broke the vase at last night’s party? LEVEL 8: VERY SECRET INFORMATION. Only a handful of people know this and they’re sworn to secrecy. Example: What’s the combination of the safe in the Temple of the Halfgod? What’s Dark-Eyed Manfred’s real name? LEVEL: 9: SECRET PERSONAL INFORMATION. Only one person knows this and they are trying very hard to keep it secret. Example: Who killed Huthe Straves? Where did Mira hide the madstone?
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LEVEL 10: LOST INFORMATION. No one knows this information. It’s not in any book anywhere. Example: Where was the house of the ancient sorcerer Aduminit located? LEVEL 11+: LOST AND GUARDED INFORMATION. Not only does no one know this, but the secret is hidden by powerful f orces in the Actuality. Example: Are there any arabast still alive? Where do the Thah come from? In cases where it’s available, GMs should feel free to give some information for partial successes. For example, if a player uses a level 7 spell to divine the location of a level 7 NPC and rolls a 5 (remember, spell level is not added to the venture in this case), the GM might provide very general rather than specic information, such as “They’re in Satyrine” or “They’re in the Red.”
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REALMS OF THE MIND: SLEEP, THE NOÖSPHERE, AND THE WORLD OF SPIRITS THE PATH Precepts, page 5 Noösphere, page 14 Deeps of Sleep, page 24
THE GATE Partial success, page 24
Audsley Barron
Although this topic is discussed more fully in the Precepts chapter of The Path, it is worth noting here that there are many realms or states beyond the material world. The Noösphere is a network created by the existence of all thinking minds, the Deeps of Sleep are a joint realm of unconscious minds, and spirits breathe the aethyr and use it as a conduit to sustain them and move through the material world without a material form. In a way, these are all the same thing. The aethyr is the residuum of memory and thought, which is the foundation of the Noösphere. And if those things work together to build a house of memory and spirit, the Deeps of Sleep might be thought to be that house’s basement. Spells and eects that interface with any of these concepts can occasionally “cross over.” Sometimes someone who can travel using an astral form can use it to access the Noösphere.
Magical Practices
INFLUENCING AND CONTROLLING MINDS
to fool a guard into thinking you’re their captain, your success or failure on the roll determines how accurately your magic captures the appearance of the captain. Because it’s not a matter of belief, a vislae’s illusory gun can’t hurt you no matter what. Illusions are basically holograms. Be aware, however, that some practices do aect a target’s mind and make them believe something that isn’t true. These are very dierent and ignore these guidelines.
Many magical practices allow you to manipulate or control the actions of another creature. Although the challenge for these eects is always the target’s level, the desired action also should modify the challenge. Getting someone to kill their own child is far harder than compelling them to sing a song or do a dance. The GM should modify the challenge by up to three steps in either direction if the circumstances warrant it. −3
Something they were going to do anyway
−2
Something they would do routinely
−1
Something they want to do
+1
Something they’d never do
+2
Something that would cause harm to them or a loved one
+3
Something that would certainly end in their death or the death of a loved one
MENTAL DAMAGE Mental damage ignores Armor unless that Armor is specically designated as aecting mental damage. Mental damage, like any mental eect, can aect targets that are insubstantial or not normally aected by solid matter or energy. An object or a truly mindless being cannot be aected by mental damage.
ILLUSIONS Illusion magic puts a veil over reality. Unless otherwise described, the eects are not all in a being’s mind, however. Should a vislae craft an illusion of a gun in their hand, they’ve actually woven light to create that image. Others unaected by the illusion see the gun too. The roll, then, is to determine how believable a gun it is. A GM might say that someone very familiar with guns would be harder to fool with such an illusion (and thus the challenge would be higher). This is very important when dealing with magical disguises. If you’re trying to use an illusion
PSYCHOKINESIS
Thought Becomes Motion, see Spell Deck
Unless stated otherwise, psychokinetic eects that allow a vislae to move matter with their mind do not grant the vislae the ability to move themselves. A spell like Thought Becomes Motion is not also a y spell.
LEVELS OF DIFFERENT EFFECTS Eects by Level table, page 21
THE GATE Armor, page 30
A GM could use the partial success concept with illusions. For example, a failure at making an illusory disguise of a guard captain might still make the vislae look like someone other than their normal self.
When using powers that allow extemporaneous creation of magical abilities, as a Weaver does regularly or a Maker does when they create an item, the Eects by Level table will come in handy. It shows, in very broad strokes, the appropriate level for a desired eect. You’ll nd that general spells, for example, cling fairly closely to this table, although they err a bit on the side of being more powerful than the level might suggest. This is because when using the table for, say, Makers or Weavers, you’re reinforcing the exibility of those orders as opposed to, say, an Apostate or Goetic with a limited number of spells. And exibility is its own sort of power. So a (rigid) spell might be slightly lower in level when producing the same eect that a Weaver produces with (very exible) weaving. GMs will also nd this table useful for NPCs, as it indicates the general range of appropriate powers a magic-wielding character might possess. For example, if an NPC is a level 5 spellcaster of some kind, rather than detail all of the NPC’s powers and spells ahead of time, the GM can simply allow them to use any eect of level 5 or lower on the table, or a subset of those abilities, as is appropriate to the NPC.
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LOOKING MORE CLOSELY AT THE TABLE This table is one of the cornerstones of the game, so it’s worth an in-depth look and a bit of understanding. First of all, the table goes all the way to 17, even though most of the time we only talk about levels 1 to 10. The eects at the top end are godlike, but probably not as comprehensively covered as at lower levels. They’re there to give context. A demon wielding level 12 powers is something to be truly feared, and the table shows why. You’ll nd there’s a power curve in this table. That is to say, there’s less of a jump in power between levels 1 and 2, and between levels 2 and 3, than between levels 9 and 10. This is for t wo reasons. First, if the table goes to 17 and that level represents godlike beings, it wouldn’t work to split all the other eects into 17 equal-sized slices. Second, when dealing with really powerful eects, really powerful beings, and so on, the dierence between 11 points of damage and 12 points of damage is smaller than the dierence between 1 point of damage and 2. Last, since this table provides the basis for everyone’s eects, it doesn’t “unbalance” anything. There is an additional issue to keep in mind. A lower-level eect is less powerful than a higherlevel one, even if they do the same thing. A level 1 ability that stuns a creature is far less potent than a level 5 ability that stuns a creature, because of the dierence in bonus each oers t o the action’s venture. So—in certain circumstances—a GM might allow an eect to be a level lower than what is stated, particularly if it is an oensive one. But this should be the exception, not the rule. Finally, these eects are all fairly boring. Far too boring to use as is. The y are just the foundations of eects. “Destroy an object up to 1 pound” is dull. “Shape a hammer from the bones of a long-dead warrior that you can wield to smash small objects” is interesting. Use this table as a framework, but when designing new eects—whether as a player or the GM—let your creativity run wild within the surreality of the setting.
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WHAT ABOUT RANGE, DURATION, AND SO ON? The Eects by Level table was the rst bit of game design started for Invisible Sun. It is the basis for everything else in the game.
Maker’s Matrix, page 58 Weaver Threads, page 64
THE KEY Makers, page 42 Weavers, page 48
With a few exceptions, the Eects by Level table makes no mention of range or duration. Most of the time, you can ignore these things—or, rather, consider them only when judging an eect generally. For example, an eect that inicts 4 damage is level 4. If it does so at long range, that’s almost assuredly better than if it is a touch eect. So an eect that inicts 4 damage with a touch might have an additional minor eect (say, the target is also at a −1 penalty, for example). If the eect is at long range and has that same additional minor eect, it’s probably enough to push the whole thing to level 5. Which means that even within a single level’s eects, not all eects are created equal. Often, you’ll have to use your best judgment. Don’t worry. Being o by a level in your assessment won’t ruin anything. Note that the chapters on the Maker’s Matrix and Weaver threads both have something to say about using range and duration to potentially modify levels with more emphasis than is detailed here. Use those systems where they are appropriate (that is to say, with Makers and Weavers).
EXTRA DICE Magical eects always add at least +1 die to the venture if they are the kind of eect whose success or failure is determined by a die roll. Assume that, for the most part, eects of levels follow the table below. Level Eects
Add This
1–7
+1 die
8–10
+2 dice
11–13
+3 dice
14–17
+4 dice
Magical Practices
EFFECTS BY LEVEL TABLE Level 1
4
Eect
Levitation
Move up to 1 pound (500 g) (a book, a shoe), once
Move up to 125 pounds (57 kg) (a very slight human), once
Harm object up to 1 pound (500 g)
Move up to 25 pounds (11 kg) (a car tire or an average two-year-old human), ongoing
Inict 1 damage
Move a very long distance instantly
+1 on a signicant action, once (includes adding 1 bene to a stat pool) 2
Blind creature
Create a visual illusion the size of a handheld object
Destroy object up to 25 pounds (11 kg)
Move up to 5 pounds (2 kg) (a table lamp)
Telepathy at close range
Move up to 1 pound (500 g) (a book, a shoe), ongoing
Transform appearance of a creature or objec t
Destroy object up to 1 pound (500 g)
Inict 4 damage
Inict 2 damage
+2 on a signicant action, once (includes adding 5 bene to a stat pool)
+1 on a relatively insignicant action, ongoing
+1 die on a signicant action, once (includes adding 1 enhancement to a stat pool)
Create a temporary, minor item that can be held in one hand (like a tool)
Create or summon level 1 creature for hours
Create a visual illusion the size of a person
Create a permanent item that can be held in one hand
Create a full sensory illusion the size of a handheld object 3
Control a creature’s mind for one round
Create a temporary item or structure no larger than a small area
Cause a creature to ee
Create a visual illusion the size of a medium area
Change a creature’s emotional state Move up to 5 pounds (2 kg) (a table lamp), ongoing Move up to 25 pounds (11 kg) (a car tire or an average two-year-old human), once Destroy object up to 5 pounds (2 kg) Grant 1 point of Armor Telepathy by touch Deafen creature Cause creature to lose next turn Slow or hinder a creature’s movement Alter appearance of a creature or object Inict 3 damage +1 on a signicant action, ongoing (includes adding 3 bene to a stat pool) Create or summon level 1 creature for rounds Create a temporary item that can be held in one hand (like a weapon)
Create a full sensory illusion the size of a small area 5
Divine the answer to one question Flight Move up to 625 pounds (280 kg) (four average people, or a glass tank with 55 gallons [208 liters] of water), once Move up to 125 pounds (57 kg) (a very slight human), ongoing Move 1 mile (1.5 km) instantly Destroy object up to 125 pounds (57 kg) Grant 2 points of Armor Telepathy at long range Inict 5 damage Inict 3 damage (small area) +2 on a relatively insignicant action, ongoing Create or summon level 2 creature for rounds Create a visual illusion the size of a large area
Create a visual illusion the size of a small area
Create a full sensory illusion the size of a medium area
Create a full sensory illusion the size of a person
Restore one pool
Wake a sleeping creature
Heal 1 Wound Cause 1 Wound
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6
Invisibility
Create a permanent item or structure no larger than a medium area
Control a creature’s mind for rounds
Signicantly alter a medium area
Move up to 3,000 pounds (1,360 kg) (a mid-sized sedan car), once Move up to 625 pounds (280 kg) (four average people, or a glass tank with 55 gallons [208 liters] of water), ongoing
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8
Control a creature’s mind for hours Move up to 40 tons (a sperm whale), once
Move 50 miles (80 km) instantly
Move up to 8 tons (an elephant), ongoing
Destroy object up to 625 pounds (280 kg)
Move any distance, instantly
Telepathy at limitless range
Inict 8 damage
Inict 6 damage
Inict 4 damage (medium area)
Inict 3 damage (medium area)
Inict 5 damage (small area)
+2 on a signicant action, ongoing
Control the weather
+1 die on a signicant action, ongoing
+2 dice on a signicant action, once
Create or summon level 3 creature for rounds
Create or summon level 5 creature for rounds
Create or summon level 2 creature for hours
Create or summon level 4 creature for hours
Create a temporary item or structure no larger than a medium area
Create a temporary item or structure no larger than a very large area
Create a permanent item or structure no larger than a small area
Create a permanent item or structure no larger than a large area
Signicantly alter a small area
Signicantly alter a large area
Create a visual illusion the size of a very large area
Restore all pools
Create a full sensory illusion the size of a large area
Heal all Wounds
Require 2 successes to aect a target 7
Create a full sensory illusion the size of a very large area
9
Teleport anywhere in this or any universe
Move up to 8 tons (an elephant), once
Grant 4 points of Armor
Move up to 3,000 pounds (1,360 kg) (a mid-sized sedan car), ongoing
Move up to 200 tons (a blue whale or eight DC-10 jetliners), once
Move 1,000 miles (1,600 km) instantly
Move up to 40 tons (a sperm whale), ongoing
Move to a random spot in a dierent world or plane
Inict 10 damage
Grant 3 points of Armor
Inict 6 damage (small area)
Inict 7 damage
Inict 5 damage (medium area)
Inict 4 damage (small area)
+2 dice on a signicant action, ongoing
Inict 3 damage (medium area)
Create or summon level 6 creature for rounds
+3 on a signicant action, once
Create or summon level 5 creature for hours
Create or summon level 4 creature for rounds
Signicantly alter a very large area
Create or summon level 3 creature for hours
Require 3 successes to aect a target
Create a temporary item or structure no larger than a large area
Create a permanent item or structure no larger than a very large area
Magical Practices
10
Open an ongoing portal to any location in this or any universe
14
Inict 25 damage
Move up to 2 million pounds (1,000 tons), once
Inict 12 damage (small area)
Move up to 200 tons (a blue whale or 8 DC-10 jetliners), ongoing
Inict 10 damage (medium area)
Enslave a creature’s mind permanently
Create a structure the size of a small town, permanently
Stop time for rounds
Create or summon level 10 creature for hours 15
Inict 30 damage
Inict 7 damage (small area)
Inict 15 damage (small area)
Inict 6 damage (medium area)
Inict 12 damage (medium area)
Create or summon level 7 creature for rounds
+4 dice on a signicant action, ongoing
Create or summon level 6 creature for hours
Create or summon any creature up to level 10 and control its actions permanently
Grant 5 points of Armor
16
Grant 10 points of Armor
Inict 14 damage
Inict 35 damage
Inict 8 damage (small area)
Inict 18 damage (small area)
Inict 7 damage (medium area)
Inict 14 damage (medium area)
Create or summon level 8 creature for rounds 12
Grant 9 points of Armor
Inict 12 damage
Signicantly alter an area stretching for miles 11
Grant 8 points of Armor
17
Enslave the minds of thousands of people, permanently
Create or summon level 7 creature for hours
Grant 12 points of Armor
Grant 6 points of Armor
Move an entire mountain (or its equivalent), once
Inict 16 damage
Create a permanent structure the size of a huge city
Inict 9 damage (small area)
Inict 40 damage
Inict 8 damage (medium area)
Inict 20 damage (small area)
Create or summon level 9 creature for rounds
Inict 16 damage (medium area)
Create or summon level 8 creature for hours +3 dice on a signicant action, ongoing Travel through time a signicant amount (years) 13
Enslave the minds of a large number of people, permanently Grant 7 points of Armor Inict 20 damage Inict 10 damage (small area) Inict 9 damage (medium area) Create or summon level 10 creature for rounds Create or summon level 9 creature for hours
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MINOR MAGIC
“W
hat seek you, sister?” “I just want to learn a little magic.” “Be thou of the Invisible Church?” “What? You mean a vislae? No. No, I just want to learn a little magic that will help with my life, you know? I don’t want to explore the universe or conjure demons or anything. I just thought magic also did, you know—other stuff. Fix things that are broken. Let me get a good night’s sleep. Make better sandwiches. I dunno.” “Ah, magic can do such things. They are a
Colors of magic, page 10
trie. But it can do so much—”
CANTRIPS
“Great, no. I’ll just go with the simple stuff.
Cantrips are always temporary and usually undened. They cost nothing to use, although they require an action to activate.
The ‘tries.’”
“Oh, very well, obstinate woman. Look for the tomes on the left-hand shelves. And remember—a library this is not. You must purchase—” “Got it.” Minor magic is a catch-all term for what might be thought of as spells of very low power. Cantrips, charms, signs, and hexes are all minor magic. Cantrips are general eects little more than helpful tricks or prestidigitation. Charms are positive eects that cover generally mundane circumstances. Signs are protective. Hexes are oensive, but mostly in terms of being bothersome rather than truly dangerous. All minor magic is considered level 0 in terms of a venture, if needed. The cost to learn any bit of minor magic is always 1 Acumen. A vislae cannot fail to learn a minor magical eect, and it takes only one day.
Even non-vislae sometimes know a few of these minor practices. It’s not uncommon for a shop owner to clean up using magic, a herder to tend a ock using magic, or a stage performer to enhance their act with (real) magic. Minor magical practices are ill-dened because their power is so slight. In general, the y last as long as seems appropriate, but rarely linger after the sun has next risen or set. If need be, a color can be assigned to a minor magical eect using the guidelines in the “Magical Practices” chapter, but most of the time, that distinction won’t matter.
Charms, page 26 Signs, page 27 Hexes, page 27
Assistance: You add +1 to someone’s ongoing mundane action, like digging a well or transcribing a book. Coldtouch: You produce a handful of ice. Conjure Sweet: A piece of candy or small pastry appears in your hand. Crimson Eyes: Turns your eyes red. Display Ephemera: You can possess and display up to ten ephemera objects from now until sunset if you intend to sell them, not use them. Dream Gift: You grant a close sleeping person a pleasant aspect to their dream. Facilitate: You speed someone’s ongoing mundane action, like building a brick wall or ling papers, and make it go 50% faster.
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The Way
Fingerame: A small ame appears on the end of your nger for a moment to light a candle or cigarette. Gaze of the Void: Turns a touched person’s eyes black. Hang: You make an object less than 1 pound (500 g) oat in the air for a very long time. Husbandry: An animal shrugs o disease and prospers for the next week or so, even without food or water. Melophilia: You ll the surrounding area with lovely music. Mystic Umbrella: The rain is kept o of you. Pleasant Odors: Bad odors are removed in a small area and replaced with something more pleasant. Quick Change: Your current outt is exchanged with another that you have in a bag on your person. Quiet Crowd: You and another person can hear each other even in a loud crowd. Pay Your Due: Using the Noösphere, you pay someone from your account to theirs (assuming both parties have access to such). You can also transfer physical orb currency into your Noösphere account. Presentable Figure: The clothes you are wearing are freshened, as dirt and stains are removed from them as well as you. Preservation: Something that would normally decay fairly quickly (such as fruit, meat, or a corpse) doesn’t until the sun next sets. Rapid Read: You read an entire book simply by touching it for a minute. Reverie: You cause a person you touch to remember a very happy memory. Savory Enhancement: A meal is nicely seasoned. Serenade: A musical instrument near you plays a song by itself. Sorcerous Maintenance: A small tear is mended, a rough edge smoothed, or a scratch removed. Sugary Enhancement: Food is sweetened and even lightly decorated with sugar, icing, or nonpareils. Sweet Slumber: You cause a person to sleep peacefully, even in loud or uncomfortable conditions.
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Sometimes non-vislae, often simply called “nons,” learn and use minor magic.
Telegnosis: Using the Noösphere, you learn the exact time and the likely weather of the coming day or night. Tidiness: A small room cleans itself up. Tied With a Bow: A string or rope ties itself into a bow knot. Verdancy: Plants in a small area shrug o disease and grow well for the next week or so, even without food or water. Verify: You determine whether a cheque has sucient backing to be worth what it claims to be worth. Warm the Chill: Your hand glows with pleasant warmth for you or another.
CHARMS THE PATH Noösphere, page 14
Charms usually last a full day. They cost nothing to use but generally take a minute or two to activate. Animal Charm: A domesticated animal gains +1 to all defenses. Encomium: A formal charm of praise or congratulations for a nearby recipient, who feels honored. Favored Charm: A single object never gets lost (although it can be stolen). Function Charm: A mundane device won’t break down, jam, or otherwise stop working. Hesychia: An agitated person becomes calmer. Natal Ward: A developing fetus is more likely to be healthy when born. Repel Dirt: An object, creature, or small area remains clean in all but the most extraordinary of circumstances. Trusted Object: A weapon or tool won’t break in normal use.
Minor Magic
SIGNS
HEXES
Signs are very simple gestures and words. Most are also easily scrawled as a glyph that can be placed on any surface. Very quick to complete, they oer a small amount of protection against various dangers. A sign costs nothing to use except an action, and its eects last about an hour (or until the bonus comes into play one time, at which point the sign must be renewed to continue the eect). The protection extends only to the one who makes the sign and cannot be conferred. With all signs, the understanding involved is more important than the gesture or glyph, so someone can’t simply copy it after observing one.
Hexes are minor magical curses or attacks. They are usually more spiteful than truly dangerous. They are considered level 0 for purposes of modifying the caster’s venture, but all have an enhancement of +1 die.
Sign Against Animal Attacks: You gain +1 to defense against fairly common predatory animals. Sign Against the Dead: You gain +1 to defense against ghosts or other dead beings. Sign Against Evil: You gain +1 to defense against demons, devils, and other dark spirits. Sign Against the Evil Eye: You gain +1 to resist all hexes. Sign Against the Legacy: You gain +1 to defense against angels and similar spirits. Sign Against Pickpockets: You gain +1 to spot a pickpocket attempt made against you. Sign Against Prying Eyes: You gain +1 to resist attempts to nd or see you via magic. Sign Against Storms: You gain +1 on any defense actions related to the weather. Sign Against Unwanted Inuence: You gain +1 on any defense actions related to mental control or possession.
THE KEY Short range, page 74
THE PATH Ghost, page 17
The God of the Blind shall lead us out of the darkness.
Blemish: A person within short range develops a blemish on their face when the sun next rises. Call of Nature: A person within short range feels the need to relieve themselves soon. Dark Vision: A person within short range imagines something awful. Deturpate: Object touched is rendered ugly and undesirable for a long time. Devil’s Pinch: A person within short range feels a sharp pain. Evil Eye: A person within short range has 1 vex in a random pool if a PC, or –1 level on a random action if an NPC. Gutchurn: A person within short range feels nauseated. Hag’s Visit: A sleeping person touched has a nightmare. Haggard Hole: A bag or item of clothing develops a small hole. Hiccupping Hex: A person within short range hiccups for a long time. Infelicic: A person within short range is unhappy for a short time. Pierce the Temple: A person within short range gets a splitting headache. Skulls on my Shoes: You touch a person, and everyone who encounters them that day gets the inexplicable feeling the person will die soon. Yawning Hex: A person within short range yawns loudly.
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LONG-FORM MAGIC
I
hear the chants echoing . . . I smell the incense burning . . . I see the knife glistening . . .
I am too late. The ritual has begun. —The Cantillate, by Vesta Tellurian
Magic is broad, covering many topics. It is also deep. It is complex—intricate. Although sometimes a quick spell or incantation can accomplish a real miracle, other times a particular need requires a more involved solution. This often comes in the guise of long-form magic. Long-form magic probably represents what someone unschooled in the ways of magic thinks of when they think of working magic. Chants. Candles. Magic symbols on the ground. It doesn’t always have these things, but sometimes it does. Scholars believe that the earliest practices of magic may have been long-form magic (some suggest that it was the Weaver’s art, while others insist that it was acquiescent incantations). It’s true that there does seem to be something primal inherent in invocations, enchantments, and rituals. The aspects of long-form magic—the chanting or singing, the movements, the materials and tools— may exist not because they relate directly to magic but because they gain the attention of demons, angels, and other spirits who can manipulate the ow of magical currents. Long-form magic, then, is more like asking someone to open a door for you, while a spell would be opening the door yourself. Still, there are eects—particularly long-lasting or wide-reaching ones—that can be best achieved (or only achieved) through long-form magic.
Charms, page 26 Hexes, page 27 Spells, page 47
THE KEY Acumen, page 22 Sorcery, page 27
Long-form magic is performed, not cast. Spells are cast.
THE KEY Physicality pool, page 26
A well-armed vislae probably knows at least one or two of these practices as well as a nice repertoire of spells and other abilities. Long-form magical practices are far more involved than charms, hexes, or even spells. They require specic ingredients, specially prepared locations, and long performance times. Long-form workings are very similar to spells in that they have varying levels, and those levels determine the Acumen cost to learn the working, a cost in Sorcery, the bonus to the venture once the working is done, and the potency of the resultant eects. As with spells, a vislae with the right secret can add more bene from their Sorcery pool to increase the level. Last, like spells, long-form workings that aect creatures or objects always have an enhancement of at least +1 die. Some have +2 dice. Because of the elaborate performance required, a vislae must attempt a Sorcery action for each hour (or fraction thereof ) it lasts. The working’s level dictates the challenge. Rather than Sorcery, the vislae may draw bene from their Physicality pool to modify their venture in these challenges, if desired. Skills like magical lore also add to the venture. Failure means that the working fails and all required materials and bene spent are lost.
REQUIREMENTS The secrets Elevate Spells and Magnify Spells work with long-form magic as well as spells.
Most long-form workings have special requirements in terms of time, materials, tools, and more. Requirements of “preparation time” involve preparing the ritual site and all of the other required materials.
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Unless otherwise stated, all physical objects and substances listed as requirements are consumed or destroyed in the preparation or performance of the working. You can always add more materials, tools, or time if you wish. Sometimes, the GM may rule that the additional materials you devote to a working grant you a bonus to the venture, depending on circumstances.
MONOGRAPHS Sometimes, all the details of a long-form practice are laid out in a very special text, often called a monograph. Monographs allow a vislae (or group of vislae) to perform a long-form working without knowing it. All other requirements remain the same.
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Learned vislae have discovered that most requirements in long-form magic can be tailored to t the practitioners. Such modications must be made carefully and with preparation and forethought. Changing the requirements simply to make the practice easier or cheaper never works. Changing the requirements to t the oeuvre of an individual vislae or order, however, is fairly common. Invocation of Knowledge, page 36
A given individual (or in the case of rituals, a given group) can use a given monograph only once. After that, they must spend the Acumen to learn it.
CONJURATIONS, INVOCATIONS, AND ENCHANTMENTS Conjurations and evocations are workings that summon a being from another world or plane. Invocations are calls for assistance from powerful otherworldly entities, or just attempts to gain their attention (and perhaps their favor). Some invocations are performed more as a rite of passage than a magical working, such as the Invocation of Knowledge. Enchantments and consecrations are magical practices that imbue special objects or places with power or ability.
Long-Form Magic
ANGELIC CONJURY (CONJURATION) Level: 5 Requirements: A relic of the Legacy Incense (cost: 1 crystal orb) Paint mixed with powdered silver to create an elaborate, enruned circle on the ground (cost: 5 crystal orbs) 3 leaves of nobility, delity, or trust (cost: 75 crystal orbs) Three hours preparation, and one hour performance An angel representing the Legacy with a level equal to 1 less than the level of the working appears in the circle. If the practitioner pledges to perform a deed at the angel’s request, the angel will perform a deed named by the practitioner, as long as it is a deed that the angel would have no compunctions in doing. Angels will not murder innocents, for example. If the practitioner does not keep their pledge, the vengeful angel will visit them later. Otherwise, the angel can be controlled or coerced into doing the vislae’s bidding, but in no case will the angel remain in the vislae’s world for more than one hour. If the practitioner knows the angel’s secret name, the angel will do as bid without the pledge from the practitioner, and regardless of the task given it. Color: Pale BESEECH (INVOCATION) Level: 5 Requirements: Incense (cost: 1 crystal orb) Vellum inscribed with as much history and detail as possible about the being involved (cost: 1 crystal orb) 3 leaves of gratitude (or other emotion, depending on the vislae’s perception of the being involved) (cost: 75 crystal orbs) Four hours preparation, and one hour performance
THE PATH Legacy, page 6
THE KEY Crystal orb, page 181 Leaves of emotion, page 185
The practitioner calls upon a higher power named in the performance, oering gifts in the form of emotions. The practitioner asks for a specic favor. The favor can be anything, but to have a chance at success, the favor should be something within the power of the being and something the being would do, in theory (no ethical barriers). If the practitioner gains the attention of the being, they will not physically manifest, but will arrive as a disembodied spirit. Usually, the being will ask questions to gain clarication as to what the vislae wants them to do, and why. Many beings will ask for something in return, usually in the form of a task, not a gift or payment. Some may ask for a favor to be named later. Beseech does not compel the contacted being in any way. Color: Pale CALL UPON THE LEGACY (INVOCATION) Level: 8 Requirements: A relic of the Legacy Incense (cost: 1 crystal orb) 4 leaves of nobility, delity, or trust (cost: 100 crystal orbs) One hour preparation, and two hours performance The vislae calls upon the Legacy as the only link to the creative force of the universe to aid in stopping some force of destruction. This could be used to attempt to prevent a volcano from erupting, or to stop a marauding horde of brigands. The aid that the vislae receives, in the manner of the Legacy, is usually subtle, indirect, and—most important—nothing that the vislae expects. Color: Pale
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CALL UPON THE PACT (INVOCATION) Level: 8 Requirements: Incense (cost: 1 crystal orb) Vellum inscribed with the details of the pact (cost: 1 crystal orb) 3 leaves of an appropriate emotion or concept, depending on the pact (cost: 75 crystal orbs) Five hours preparation, and one hour performance The vislae who knows the details of a pact can use it to trade service for service. The practitioner oers a specic service (as detailed in the pact) and asks for a reciprocal payment of a service by an entity (or entities) covered by the pact. This is intentionally open ended, but the more enticing the oer made by the vislae, the more likely that the beings covered by the pact will heed the call and adhere to its stipulations. Punishment for not following through on an agreement based on a pact is usually extremely severe—the least of which is often death. Color: Pale CATHEXIS (ENCHANTMENT) Level: 4 Requirements: Painted sigils and glyphs in the area to be aected Absolute quiet and stillness for perfect meditation A headband set with 50 crystal orbs’ worth of perfect crystals 1 leaf of the appropriate emotion (cost: 25 crystal orbs) One hour preparation, and one hour performance The practitioner invests a medium area with emotional signicance. For a year and a day, the area has an eect on anyone who is within it for at least an hour, depending on the emotion: Love: Gain 1 bene in Interaction pool. Fear: Gain 1 bene in Perception pool. Hate: Gain 1 bene in Accuracy pool.
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THE KEY Physicality pool, page 26 Intellect pool, page 27
Although there is no precise formal denition of what constitutes a “demon” or a “devil,” the term “devil” implies an intelligent and at least somewhat sophisticated being rather than a mindless monstrosity.
Pacts are byzantine agreements with elaborate clauses and amendments. Any reasonable service exchange the player needs can be justied as being a part of the pact.
THE KEY Interaction pool, page 27 Perception pool, page 27 Accuracy pool, page 26
Hope: Gain 1 bene in Physicality pool. Calm: Gain 1 bene in Intellect pool. Curiosity: Gain 1 bene in Intellect pool. Any benet cannot be gained more than once each day. No area can be invested with more than one emotion, nor can another area of investment be within very long range of this one. Color: Blue CONJURE DEVIL (CONJURATION) Level: 5 Requirements: Fresh blood (at least 3 pints) Powdered goat horn Elaborate chants Paint mixed with powdered gold to create an elaborate, enruned circle on the ground (cost: 10 crystal orbs) 2 leaves of betrayal, deception, or avarice (cost: 50 crystal orbs) Three hours preparation, and one hour performance An intelligent being from the Red or the Dark (practitioner’s choice) with a level equal to the level of the working appears in the circle, compelled to remain there for three rounds. During that time, the vislae can attempt to bargain with or command the devil to perform some deed that takes no more than an hour and requires the devil to travel no more than 50 miles (80 km). Typically, the devil will want something in return, or it will have to be magically commanded or threatened and coerced. If the vislae fails, the entity returns whence it came, likely quite annoyed. If the practitioner knows the devil’s secret name, the devil will do as bid without payment from the practitioner. Color: Pale
Long-Form Magic
CONJURE THE DEAD (CONJURATION) Level: 4 Requirements: Ice Powdered stone to sprinkle in a circle An object at least 100 years old Vislae’s own tears (at least two) 1 leaf of loss (cost: 25 crystal orbs) Three hours preparation, and one hour performance A dead spirit with a level equal to the level of the working appears in the circle, compelled to remain there for three rounds. During that time, the vislae can interrogate or persuade the spirit to share information. Typically, the dead will want something in return, or it will have to be magically commanded or threatened and coerced. The dead usually want unfullled tasks completed or messages to the living conveyed. If the practitioner knows the dead person’s secret name, the spirit will answer three questions from the practitioner without compunction, and then leave. Color: Pale CONSECRATE WEAPON (ENCHANTMENT) Level: 2 Requirements: A fully constructed weapon made with materials of at least level 2 Oil of Akeran (cost: 50 crystal orbs) 30 minutes preparation, and one hour performance A weapon that the vislae can hold in their hands becomes enchanted with power sacred to the practitioner. Until the sun next rises, the weapon has an enhancement of +1 die when used in combat. Color: Gold
Vislae interested in wielding a magic weapon are more likely to learn a practice like Consecrate Weapon than to go looking for one to purchase. It’s less about getting your hands on a powerful weapon and more about making the weapon you have a potent one.
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CONSECRATED INTENTION (ENCHANTMENT) Level: 5 Requirements: Etched or carved glyphs and symbols in the area Silver ritual knife (cost: 15 crystal orbs) Two hours preparation, and three hours performance This consecration permanently infuses a location no larger than a medium area with the will of the practitioner. If someone in that location attempts a single action named when the working is complete, they gain a +1 bonus to their venture. Any vislae (or similar being) entering the location immediately knows of the existence of the working and who cast it. Performing this working again in the same place overwrites the previous one. Color: Blue DESIGNATED PLACE (ENCHANTMENT) Level: 7 Requirements: Etched or carved glyphs and symbols in the area 3 leaves of familiarity or understanding (cost: 75 crystal orbs) Three hours preparation, and one hour performance The vislae creates a location that serves as a target for various specic spells, including Communal Location, Consignment, Dissociative Presence, and Dismissed Distance. In addition, if the performance includes the casting of a spell, the spell is stored and cast later based on a set of specic contingencies laid out as part of the working. Contingencies might include: a specic person stands in the spot, anyone stands in the spot, ten days pass, someone standing in the spot speaks a specic phrase, and so on. The particulars of the spell are treated as if the caster were currently standing at the spot, so touch spells aect someone there, ranged spells can aect any target within range, and so on. Spells that aect only the caster do not function. T his
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enchantment works only with spells, not other eects, and with only one spell, cast at the time of the performance. Only one designated place can exist at a time for a single vislae. Creating a second destroys the rst. Color: Silver
Spirits can be bound in circles, but they are confounded by angles.
ENCUMBROUS TRIANGLE (INVOCATION) Level: 4 Requirements: Paint mixed with the vislae’s own blood (1 Wound) Two hours preparation, and ve minutes performance An entity conjured (via other means) appears within the triangle. It cannot escape the triangle and move into the world beyond unless it is of higher level than the triangle, and even then, its success is not assured. The triangle does not protect the conjurer from attack or inuence from the entity. This invocation is useful only in protecting everyone else from what the conjurer has brought forth. Typically, a conjured entity reac ts poorly to an Encumbrous Triangle. Using it adds +1 to the challenges involved in interacting with it, except for coercion. Color: Invisible
Long-Form Magic
ENSORCEL ITEM (ENCHANTMENT) Level: 6 Requirements: A fully constructed item made with materials of a level equal to the working Ten ingredients of a level equal to the working 6 leaves of emotions appropriate to the item (cost: 150 crystal orbs) Two hours preparation, and ten hours performance The practitioner enchants an item with a random ability of a level equal to the level of the working. If the vislae knows a particular spell they would like to enchant into the item instead, they can attempt to use that, with two caveats: 1. The practitioner must succeed at an additional challenge based on the level of the spell. 2. The exact parameters of how that spell functions as an enchantment for the item is not up to the vislae, but up to fate and logic (the GM). The spell merely suggests the general concept of the item. Thus, an oensive re spell creates an oensive re item, a healing spell creates a healing item, and so on. T his includes nal interpretation of the eect, usage, and so on. The nished item is an object of power with a depletion of 0–1 (check each use). Color: Gold EXACTING GEOMETRY (ENCHANTMENT) Level: 9 Requirements: Paint mixed with the vislae’s own blood (1 Wound) Five hours preparation, and ve minutes performance An entity conjured (via other means) appears within a complex diagram that the vislae has painted on the oor if the conjurer knows its secret name. It cannot escape the diagram nor take any actions. It is held in place with bonds of pure pain so great that it is also compelled to agree to perform one service for the conjurer. The service
Makers sco at Ensorcelled Items, but for many nonMakers, it’s a godsend.
must be possible for the being and must be accomplished within a year and a day. Typically, a conjured entity reac ts poorly to use of Exacting Geometry. Should the situation ever arise that the vislae must interact with the being outside of the geometry, the challenge of doing so gains +2, except for coercion. Color: Pale EXCULPATION (INVOCATION) Level: 5 Requirements: Repetitive chants Blood drawn from the practitioner (1 Wound) 3 leaves of regret (cost: 75 crystal orbs) A detailed written description of the deed that must be burned at the end Incense burned throughout both preparation and performance One hour preparation, and one hour performance This invocation seeks to earn the vislae absolution for a prior deed. It beseeches the higher powers potentially oended for mercy. At the end, the vislae usually knows if those powers grant absolution or not. Color: Indigo FLESH FOR KNOWLEDGE (INVOCATION) Level: 7 Requirements: A silver knife and a silver vessel (5 crystal orbs each) One hour performance The practitioner slices o a signicant portion of their own esh over the course of an hour, while chanting a specic mantra over and over. This results in 2 Wounds and the permanent loss of 1 bene from Physicality. In the pain-spawned hallucinations that follow, the practitioner immediately learns one magical practice or secret of their choosing. No need for spending Acumen or time for study. Color: Red
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IDOLUM (INVOCATION) Level: 2 Requirements: Soft music playing Ten minutes preparation, and one hour performance The vislae creates psychic artwork. Psychic artwork is similar to sculpture, but it can be perceived only by other vislae and similar beings of power. The creator can use any colors and textures desired. Materials are not involved. The art is solely psychic energy, which can be made to resemble any energy or matter desired. The art has no physical substance and cannot conceal real matter or energy except for the briefest moment at rst glance. In other words, it has no practical use, only aesthetic. The artwork can portray anything real or conceptual, as long as it ts within a small area. Color: Silver
Six hours of preparatory meditation Five hours of other preparation, and one hour performance The vislae displays their skill and prowess for all to see. All those present learn the practitioner’s secret name. Color: Indigo
INVOCATION OF KNOWLEDGE (INVOCATION) Level: 3 Requirements: A scroll written with all of the practitioner’s major accomplishments, skills, and areas of mastery, including the name of every magical practice they know 1 leaf of pride (cost: 25 crystal orbs) One hour of preparatory meditation Five hours of other preparation, and one hour performance The vislae displays their knowledge for all to see. All those present learn the practitioner’s secret soul. Color: Indigo
IMPRIMATUR (INVOCATION) Level: 4 Requirements: An hour-long recitation of the practitioner’s intent, on their knees A detailed written description of the task that must be burned at the end 17 candles, each inscribed with the symbol of the being invoked The secret soul names of all involved in the task This invocation calls on a named higher power to appeal for approval and sanction of a task that is about to be undertaken. Color: Indigo INVOCATION OF CRAFT (INVOCATION) Level: 6 Requirements: A scroll written with all of the practitioner’s major accomplishments, talents, and strengths, including the name of every magical practice they know 1 leaf of pride (cost: 25 crystal orbs)
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The Invocation of Craft and the Invocation of Knowledge are important parts of moving up in degree within some orders.
INVOCATION OF THANKS (INVOCATION) Level: 1 Requirements: A small piece of paper written with what the practitioner is grateful for A small piece of paper written with a noteworthy quality or deed belonging to the entity to be thanked 1 leaf of gratitude (cost: 25 crystal orbs) One hour of preparatory meditation, one hour performance The vislae sends gratitude to an entity named in the incantation. Sincere thanks are appropriate after a being has done a favor or service (perhaps as the result of a Beseech invocation) and ensures that one remains in good standing. Color: Indigo
Long-Form Magic
MORITAT (INVOCATION) Level: 7 Requirements: A knife consecrated to the being invoked 3 leaves of hatred (cost: 75 crystal orbs) A living creature to be sacriced One hour preparation A three-hour-long song This invocation is a long song of murder and dark crimes to appeal to a powerful demonic lord, god of death or murder, or other inhabitant of the Red. Once the attention is gained, it’s up to the vislae as to what to do next, but generally it involves asking for help in some act of violence. Color: Red PLEA FOR JUSTICE (INVOCATION) Level: 6 Requirements: Seven red candles with gold ligree (cost: 5 crystal orbs) A written description of all the injustices and wrongdoings of one oender 3 leaves of justice (cost: 75 crystal orbs) Three hours preparation, and one hour performance The vislae calls upon the powers of the universe and any higher power listening to punish a being that has done wrong or committed injustices. The vislae cannot choose who answers the call, or what they will ask in return. Color: Pale REACH INTO CHAOS (INVOCATION) Level: 10 Requirements: Fasting for two days Ten hours of meditation and focus on thoughts of madness and chaos 17 leaves of insanity (cost: 425 crystal orbs) Six hours performance The practitioner contacts the insane and catastrophic entities that dwell within the roiling cacophony of light and color known as the
Reach Into Chaos might suggest that a powerfulenough invocation doesn’t need to call upon entities that necessarily exist. Or perhaps enough such invocations might actually bring ctional beings into existence.
Blood as Power secret, page 86 Conjurer secret, page 86
Kaleidoscope Void. Most of these beings are only hypothetical, but a few who have been named include the Mother of Senseless Things, the Seething Madness, and the Omnipresent Eye. The practitioner immediately suers 1 Anguish and must then make three Resist defense rolls (challenge 10) or suer another Anguish for each failure. A vislae who survives gains the ability to change one thing in reality. This can involve undoing an event that happened in the past, slaying a living being, changing themselves or another being signicantly, or more. Color: Gold SCREAM INTO THE VOID (INVOCATION) Level: 8 Requirements: Blood drawn from the practitioner (1 Wound) Incense burned throughout both preparation and performance Half hour preparation, and half hour performance The practitioner calls out into the Dark, pledging their own soul in exchange for power. If the scream is heard and heeded, the vislae gains 8 Crux and 12 Acumen instantly to spend as desired, learns the Blood as Power and Conjurer secrets, and adds 2 bene to every stat pool permanently. When the practitioner dies, their soul goes immediately into the Dark, consumed and lost forever. Color: Pale
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The Distraction
SUMMON DEMON (CONJURATION) Level: 4 Requirements: Fresh blood (at least 3 pints) Fresh meat Elaborate, cacophonous chants Paint mixed with powdered gold to create an elaborate, enruned circle on the ground (cost: 10 crystal orbs) 2 leaves of anger, lust, or hatred (cost: 50 crystal orbs) Three hours preparation, and one hour performance A near-mindless demon from the Red or the Dark (practitioner’s choice) with a level equal to the level of the working appears in the circle, compelled to remain there for three rounds. During that time, the vislae can attempt to compel the demon to perform a deed that takes no more than an hour and requires the demon to travel no more than 50 miles (80 km). Typically, the demon will have to be magically commanded, or threatened and coerced. If the
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Are the so-called Demons of the Old Blood an ancient breed hidden for aeons in the dark places, or are they more conventional demons bathed in the blood of aged vislae?
vislae fails, the entity makes a single attack against them and returns whence it came, likely quite annoyed. If the practitioner knows the demon’s secret name, it will do as bid without threats from the practitioner. Color: Pale SUMMON CONCEPTUAL SPIRIT (CONJURATION) Level: 4 Requirements: Incense (cost: 1 crystal orb) An image relating to the concept involved Elaborate chants Paint mixed with powdered diamond to create an elaborate, enruned circle on the ground (cost: 25 crystal orbs) 3 leaves of concept of the spirit or a close proximity (cost: 75 crystal orbs) Three hours preparation, and one hour performance
Long-Form Magic
A spirit embodying a specic concept appears in the circle. The spirit might represent love, laughter, life, art, betrayal, starvation, or nearly anything else. The spirit is compelled to remain there for three rounds. During that time, the vislae can attempt to bargain with or command the spirit to perform a deed. The deed depends on the nature of the spirit, but the spirit has no physical form. A spirit of love might ll a named person with love. A spirit of betrayal might help hatch a scheme. A spirit of depression might cause a named person to fall into despair. Typically, the spirit will want something in return that has to do with its concept. A spirit of laughter might want a new comedic poem composed, and a spirit of starvation might insist that the practitioner fast for a week. Otherwise, it will have to be magically commanded or somehow threatened and coerced. If the vislae fails, the entity returns whence it came, likely quite annoyed. If the practitioner knows the spirit’s secret name, it will do as bid without payment from the practitioner. Color: Pale THOUGHTFORM CREATION (INVOCATION) Level: 5 Requirements: One hour of meditation An Ollari rod (cost: 100 crystal orbs per level of the thoughtform) Two hours preparation, and twelve hours performance A thoughtform comes into being. Its level is 3 less than that of the invocation. Its appearance can vary greatly, but its size is about that of the practitioner. It is a physical entity but has no soul. Thoughtforms are invested with the will of their creator and thus do as instructed. In the parlance of Shadow, despite looking like creatures, they are more like robots or machines. The Ollari rod involved is a specially prepared wooden and brass rod that absorbs 1 point of Qualia from the practitioner to create the thoughtform. This means that a vislae loses 1
point of Qualia forever (with the eect of losing 1 bene from a Qualia pool of their choice). Thoughtforms are permanent. Although they do as they are bid, they appear to act like living creatures. If it doesn’t directly conict with their instructions, they act similar to what their appearance and role would suggest, seeming very lifelike. Two thoughtform guards might appear to tell jokes or play a dice game while they watch over a charge, for example. If a created thoughtform is slain or destroyed, the practitioner does not get the invested Qualia back, but they can perform this invocation again to create a thoughtform of the same level without needing to devote another point of Qualia. Typically, a thoughtform created to perform tasks for the practitioner is called a fetch. One created to be a guardian is called a vordir. A thoughtform created to be placed in the service of another is called a daimon. Color: Silver
Most vislae who create thoughtforms make them look like normal humans so they can t into their surroundings easily. Sending a three-headed dragon man to the corner store to buy a bottle of milk draws a lot of attention, which might not be desirable.
Tulpas are much rarer than the near-ubiquitous thoughtforms, but they are still common among powerful vislae.
TULPA CREATION (INVOCATION) Level: 5 Requirements: One hour of meditation. An Ollari rod (cost: 100 crystal orbs per level of the tulpa) Two hours preparation, and six hours performance A tulpa comes into being. Its level is 3 less than that of the invocation. Like all tulpas, it is not a physical entity, but instead an intelligence with no soul. A tulpa is invested with the will of its creator. As a disembodied intelligence, it inhabits the mind of its creator, often oering information or advice. The Ollari rod involved is a specially prepared wooden and brass rod that absorbs 1 point of Qualia from the practitioner to create the tulpa. This means that the vislae loses 1 point of Qualia forever (with the eect of losing 1 bene from a Qualia pool of their choice). Tulpas are permanent creations. Although they do as they are bid, they are intelligent entities—an
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VICISSITUDE (INVOCATION) Level: 2 Requirements: Chanting Symbols painted or otherwise inscribed upon the oor An image or idol of the being invoked (not destroyed at the end) 1 leaf of need (cost: 25 crystal orbs) One hour preparation, and one hour performance This invocation is a plea to a kindly power for a change in condition or fortune. Interested spirits and entities may take notice and get involved if it suits them. Color: Pale
articial intelligence, if you will. If a created tulpa is somehow slain or destroyed, the creator does not get the invested Qualia back, but they can perform this ritual again to create a tulpa of the same level without needing to devote another point of Qualia. Color: Silver UNDERSTANDING THROUGH TORMENT (INVOCATION) Level: 7 Requirements: A whip or other instrument of pain or torture One hour of meditation followed by an hour performance The vislae agellates their own esh or otherwise inicts long-lasting pain over the course of the hour performance of this invocation. This involves inicting 2 Wounds and gaining a scourge in all Certes stat pools that can be removed only by one week of nothing but rest. As a result, the practitioner reduces the cost of learning a single new skill, magical practice, or secret by 3 Acumen. The understanding to be gained must be determined when the invocation is performed, and it must be acquired immediately after the vislae recovers. Color: Red
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THE KEY Certes, page 26 Scourge, page 29
WARDING STONE (ENCHANTMENT) Level: 5 Requirements: A natural stone etched with tiny runes A handful of mummy dust (cost: 100 crystal orbs) Two hours preparation, and two hours performance The vislae enchants a small stone with protective qualities. It then can be set into an object (this likely requires a craftsperson) and that object is protected from harm. The object has +4 levels for defense purposes. The stone can also be set into a permanent structure, warding the medium area around where it lies. All objects in the area (including structural features like walls and ceilings) have +4 levels for defense purposes. If the stone is not set into anything, it oers no advantages. It cannot help ward a creature in any event. Color: Invisible
Long-Form Magic
RITUALS Rituals are long-form magical workings that require more than one participant. A ritual’s Sorcery cost can be shared among all participants, but one must be the lead. That person rolls for the ritual, if need be, to see if it takes eect. The lead must know the ritual (or have a monograph) but the rest of the participants do not have to know it—they follow the lead’s guidance.
and if the entity knows the answers and feels (or is convinced) that it would be in their interest to share the information, they will do so. Certain entities might lie. Color: Indigo
Monograph, page 30
BOUNDED ENTITY RITE Level: 6 (+1 die) Requirements: At least two participants 4 leaves of fear (cost: 100 crystal orbs) Incense burned throughout both preparation and performance Paint mixed with powdered diamond to create an elaborate sigil on the ground (cost: 30 crystal orbs) Two hours preparation, and three minutes performance A being conjured within the last ten minutes is imprisoned until the sun next rises. The being is rooted to the spot where the sigil is painted and cannot take any actions other than to speak. Color: Pale COMMUNION RITE Level: 4 Requirements: At least two participants, both of whom must have dierent hearts Burning candles Stone tablet carefully inscribed with the name of the entity involved (cost: 1 crystal orb) Symbols painted on the oor One hour preparation, and two hours performance The participants create a temporary mental space within the Noösphere where they can meet with an entity whose name they know and whose level is equal to or less than the level of the ritual. They can ask three questions of the entity,
CONSECRATION RITE Level: 4 Requirements: At least ve participants, including the owner of the location, if any Silver dust sprinkled all around the area (cost: 10 crystal orbs) Oil of Akeran (cost: 50 crystal orbs) 6 leaves of serenity (cost: 150 crystal orbs) One hour preparation, and two hours performance This ritual wards a locale from evil inuences or unwanted magic. The very large area surrounding the rite is immune to spells and eects whose level is equal to or less than the level of the ritual for a year and a day. This protects the area and the permanent structures in it, but not the objects or creatures in the area. Color: Invisible
THE KEY Heart, page 64
THE PATH Noösphere, page 14
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CURSE TABLET Level: 6 (+1 die) Requirements: At least ve participants, with each heart represented at least once A stone tablet, inscribed with elaborate mystical words, symbols, and runes (cost: 3 crystal orbs) 3 leaves of hate, revulsion, or similar concept (cost: 75 crystal orbs) Six hours preparation, and four hours performance The participants of this ritual bond together in their hatred of a specic being. Each must know the name of and have seen the being, but the being’s current location does not matter. If the participants know the being’s secret name, this ritual is enhanced by +1 die. They infuse the tablet with their hatred and attempt to curse the being. If successful, the being is always fatigued and ill at ease, which manifests as a −1 penalty on all actions. This curse lasts as long as the tablet remains intact and in the possession of one of the participants. If the being resists the curse, they know who attempted to curse them. Color: Red EGREGOR Level: 7 Requirements: At least eight participants, all of whom must belong to the same organization, sect, or other group with a common ideal An Ollari rod (cost: 100 crystal orbs per level of the tulpa) Two hours preparation, and six hours performance A special tulpa known as an egregor comes into being. Its level is equal to that of the ritual. Like all tulpas, it is not a physical entity, but instead an intelligence with no soul. The egregor is invested with the will of the group and the ideals of the group. It takes what they represent and devotes its entire nature to that
42
Egregors are the rarest of the tulpas, but almost every major organization has one.
The vessel for the Entombing Rite could be a hinged box, a suitcase, a glass jar, a gold locket, a coin purse, and so on.
concept. As a disembodied intelligence, it can “ride” any member of the group (even those not participating in the ritual) and speak telepathically to that member, often oering information or advice. It can switch which member it accompanies, but only if another member is close. (In the case of two or more touching members, the egregor can speak to all of them at the same time.) If the member that it is riding is killed, the egregor is trapped at the site of the body until a new member comes close. The Ollari rod involved is a specially prepared wooden and brass rod that absorbs 1 point of Qualia from each practitioner to create the egregor. This means that each participant loses 1 point of Qualia forever (with the eect of losing 1 bene from a Qualia pool of their choice). Tulpas are permanent creations. Although they do as they are bid, they are intelligent entities—an articial intelligence, if you will. If a created egregor is somehow slain or destroyed, the practitioners do not get the invested Qualia back, but they can perform this ritual again to create an egregor of the same level without needing to devote another point of Qualia. Color: Silver ENTOMBING RITE Level: 9 Requirements: At least ve participants, each of which must have at least 5 total levels of magical objects (ephemera or objects of power) held in their hands or worn close to their hearts A vessel of high quality that opens and closes, inscribed with symbols and runes (cost: 1 gem orb) Sixteen hours preparation, and one hour performance This ritual imprisons one being within the vessel for as long as it remains closed. The being must be of a level equal to or less than the ritual, but does not have to physically t within the vessel. Color: Pale
Long-Form Magic
EXORCISM RITE Level: 4 Requirements: At least ve participants, including the owner of the location, if any A set of thirteen burning candles and another set of six burning candles (cost: 1 crystal orb) Two hours preparation, and two hours performance This ritual attempts to dispel any unwanted occupying spirits from a location. Spiritual beings of a level equal to or less than the ritual are driven out of a very large area surrounding the rite and cannot return for a year and a day (and most, at that point, never do). Color: Pale MELLIFICATION RITE Level: 2 Requirements: At least two participants A corpse 10 crystal orbs’ worth of honey Three hours preparation, and thirty minutes performance A corpse is interred in a casement lled with honey. One year later, the honey becomes a potent poultice. The resultant ephemera is a level 4 poultice that will cure any disease of a lower level or heal 1 Wound. Even better, if the person used as the corpse eats nothing but honey beforehand (probably killing them), three such poultices are formed. Color: Gold PURIFICATION RITE Level: 4 Requirements: At least ve participants, including the owner of the location, if any Silver dust sprinkled all around the area (cost: 10 crystal orbs) Oil of Akeran (cost: 50 crystal orbs) One hour preparation, and two hours performance
This ritual rids a locale of evil inuences or unwanted magic. Spells and eects whose level is equal to or less than the ritual in the very large area surrounding the rite come to an end. Color: Invisible
What are the dreams of sentient poems?
Death Ward, see Spell Deck
RETURN TO THE LIVING Level: 10 Requirements: At least ve participants, with each heart represented at least once, and each participant must have at least 8 total levels of magical objects (ephemera or objects of power) held in their hands or worn close to their hearts Chanting Some remains or item of importance to the deceased Vellum inscribed with details of the deceased’s life 3 leaves each of regret, devotion, and hope Five hours preparation, and two hours performance This ritual restores a being to life. You must name the being and know a great deal about its life. If you know the secret name of the being, it can be of any level. Otherwise, it cannot be greater than level 10. Even a being with a Death Ward can be brought back using this ritual. The restored being is in full health and ready to act as soon as the ritual is successfully completed. Color: Pale RITUAL OF THE BLACK CUBE Level: 8 Requirements: At least four participants, with each heart represented Inscribed square in stone, on the ground or at surface, at least 3 feet (1 m) across An object of power, at least level 6, placed in the square 2 leaves each of wonder, greed, and devotion One hour preparation, and two hours performance
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This ritual summons the Black Cube from the Void. The cube appears in the inscribed square as the object of power disappears. Opening the box is dicult and dangerous. Three separate Intellectbased actions are required to solve the puzzles involved; the rst is challenge 7, the second challenge 8, and the third challenge 9. All must be completed within ve minutes of the summons. Should any of these actions fail, each participant gains a scourge in Intellect and the box disappears. Only curse-lifting or aiction-curing magic of level 8 or higher will remove the scourge. Opening the box reveals one of three possible outcomes, chosen and agreed upon by the participants when they perform the ritual: 1. A parchment containing the secret name of a random angel, devil, and ghost, each of level 5 to 7. 2. A random object of power for each participant, each of level 4 to 6. 3. A single random object of power up to level 8. The box lingers for a few rounds after it is opened. Then it disappears. The contents are permanent. Color: Pale SACRIFICIAL RITE Level: 4 Requirements: At least three participants Singing and chanting Living being that is willing, bound, or otherwise incapacitated Silver and steel knife (not destroyed in the end) Drum or ute for playing music (not destroyed in the end) Object for storing the soul; its level must be equal to or greater than the level of the sacrice One hour preparation, and one hour performance The performers ritually kill a living being and store their soul in the objec t. Potentially, the soul object can be used to power a magic item, as an oering to a demon, or in some other way. Color: Pale
44
One might assume that since it comes from the Dark, objects in the Black Cube would always be tainted or evil. One would be mistaken.
Bounded Entity Rite, page 41 Entombing Rite, page 42
THE KEY Aethyric Lamp, page 186
SIPHON POWER RITE Level: 7 Requirements: At least three participants Silver dust sprinkled all around the area (cost: 10 crystal orbs) Half hour preparation, and one hour performance This ritual allows the practitioners to draw power from an imprisoned being (such as one held by a Bounded Entity Rite or Entombing Rite). The power can be transferred to another being (which can be—but does not have to be— one of the participants), or it can be stored in an appropriate vessel, like a crystal or precious gem. If it is transferred to a being, they gain a +2 bonus to their level until the sun next sets if an NPC, or 2 bene in every stat pool if a PC. If it is transferred to a vessel, the power is equal to the level of the being. This ritual cannot be performed on the same imprisoned entity more than once a week or it will likely destroy them. Color: Pale TRUE CLEANSING Level: 7 (+1 die) Requirements: At least ve participants, each of which must have at least 5 total levels of magical objects (ephemera or objects of power) held in their hands or worn close to their hearts Powdered glass sprinkled throughout the area Chanting A natural re the size of a bonre (or an equally powerful aethyric lamp) Half hour preparation, and one hour performance The performers cleanse a large area and all beings within it of magical or biological viruses, as well as other similar corruptions or maladies (but probably not possession or haunting by an intelligent force). Color: Invisible
Long-Form Magic
GAMEMASTERING LONG-FORM MAGIC The list of long-form practices in this chapter is merely the tip of the iceberg. The world is full of very specic long-form magic used for very specic purposes. There might be a conjuration, for example, to summon one specic kind of being, or perhaps even one specic individual being. There might be a ritual required to open a magical doorway into a particular fortress. This means that one of the purposes long-form magic serves is entirely story based. If the vislae sneak into a cultist temple and nd an angel trapped in a magical prison, they might also nd a monograph of a ritual the cultists use to compel the angel to prophesy for them. In this case, the ritual is specic to that angel in that prison. The monograph—and the ritual—might be the key to completing the PCs’ mission. More story-based long-form practices might have even more specic (or obscure) requirements. These are often strongly tied to the specic setting or characters involved and might include: A specic location A specic time of day or date Specic meteorological conditions Specic astrological events A practitioner or participant of a particular heritage or bloodline A practitioner or participant with a specic change from a changery A practitioner or participant with specic—and likely rare—features (hair and eye color, for example) A practitioner or participant from a specic order A practitioner or participant of a specic species (such as an elderbrin) Another purpose of long-form practices is to ll in the magical gaps. These practices explain where thoughtforms come from and how non-Goetics summon demons. They oer ways for a non-Maker to enchant an item, and for vislae to interact with immortal powers. In some ways, then, long-form magic is the way for PCs to break the rules. Once again, we see that they have a real story use, but this time it’s for stories with the characters. Say the PCs encounter a powerful being and make friends with her. How do they contact her again if they need her? A Beseech invocation might do the trick. That’s why Beseech and similar practices are written with such open-ended eects. They’re not like spells, which predictably do the same thing each time. Many long-form practices put the particulars in the hands of an entity being invoked. Rituals in particular are interesting methods of allowing the PCs to participate in the narrative in ways the rules might otherwise prevent. This is because rituals require a group. It might be that all the PCs must participate to successfully exorcise the spirits in a house or deal with a horric plague. In short, long-form magic is a narrative tool more than an ability added to a vislae’s repertoire. Feel free to alter the eects of those presented here to t the situation, or make up entirely new practices using these as models. That’s why they’re the only magical practice that a character can learn (through monographs) without always spending Acumen or long periods of time studying.
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THE ENDLESS GRIMOIRE: GENERAL SPELLS
S
pells are the core of magical practice. The essence of a spell is Qualia. That is to say, if a quale is the internal and subjective element of the concept that you have in your mind when you perceive something outside yourself, casting a spell is recalling (or creating) that element with such power and vivid clarity that you make it real. Perhaps one could even say it’s Qualia in reverse. A quale isn’t a “visual image” or some other more concrete sensory memory. It is the component of sensory input (or the result of that input) that goes a step beyond simple information brought in by your eyes or ears and decoded by your brain. If you think “warm” when you see something yellow, that’s not part of the input your mind gets, but part of the internal concept that your inner being understands. This means that it’s not enough to experience sensations to cast a spell. It’s not enough to understand the term “yellow” and know how it is dierent in mechanistic, practical terms from “orange.” Qualia requires more than mind. It requires soul. And thus, so do spells. This is a long way around to say that although spells involve reciting magical words and making magical gestures, these are in fact the least important parts of spellcasting. These are triggers and catalysts, but the real secret is that inner understanding of your desired result’s Qualia. But the words and gestures are part of it too—they help bring about the precise Qualia in your mind. A spell is all these things together. So spellcasting is dicult. Vislae are a special group—not everyone has the patience to learn, the mental dexterity to execute, and the willpower to weather everything that is involved.
FACETS
When adjudicating spells, NPCs who gain bene add 1 to their level, and NPCs who suer vex subtract 1 from their level. These modiers last for one round, or an entire encounter (depending on context). A scourge lowers their level by 1 long term.
Facets are spell minutiae. Beginning players can ignore facets. A facet doesn’t come into play unless the game involves people who have uncovered the specic secret that involves that particular facet. Facets allow gameplay to change over time. For example, a secret might key o of all spells with the Divination facet, improving them in some way. Or an object of power might prevent the user from e ver casting spells with the Night facet. Curse: This is a harmful spell that doesn’t end with a passage of time, but rather when it is lifted. This usually involves some kind of contravening magic, but other times it is a specic circumstance or set of circumstances. Night: The spell is keyed to the night. Day: The spell is keyed to the day. Midnight: The spell is tied to midnight. The Legacy: The spell is tied to the concept of the Legacy itself. The Dark: The spell is related to the eternal darkness that exists beyond the suns.
THE WORLD IS A SPELL The Legacy is the remnant in our time of the being that created all existence by forming a quale of it. This is the grandest of all spells. It isn’t just a spell that created the world—it is the world. It’s not a spell that’s been cast—it is an ongoing spell, continuing to be cast. We live within a spell. It makes the world possible.
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Metamagic: The spell aects other spells. Divination: The spell attempts to provide information. Conjuration: The spell conjures something from elsewhere. Teleportation: The spell moves matter instantly. Death: The spell has t o do with death or the dead (but not necessarily killing). Fire: The spell deals with or creates re. Cold: The spell deals with or creates cold. Water: The spell deals with or creates water. Earth: The spell deals with or creates earth. Air: The spell deals with or creates air. Sound: The spell deals with or creates sound.
GENERAL SPELLS TABLES LEVEL 1 Name
Color
Accoyed Savagery
Blue
Acrasia
Blue
Calligraphic Display
Grey
Clasped Flesh
Silver
Egoist’s Dream
Grey
Exiguous Appeasement
Silver
Found Wanting
Indigo
Ignorance of Pain
Blue
GENERAL SPELLS
Illuminating Glow
Gold
This is a selection of general spells that any vislae can learn and use. Refer to the Spell Deck for the individual details involved with each spell. The deck allows you to draw a spell randomly or to sort spells however you wish—based on facet, level, color, or other subject. For example, if the GM wishes to exclude all dreamrelated magic, they can just take those cards out of the deck. Included in the Spell Deck are blank cards for you to add your own original spells as well.
Imaginary Threat
Blue
Impedimenta
Silver
Leitmotiv
Silver
Lies of the Mirror
Grey
Object Arcanum
Grey
Paraprosexia
Grey
Plentiful Pockets
Silver
Posterity’s Blessing
Indigo
Rhapsodic Moment
Blue
Shadow Box
Pale
Sketch
FINGERSNAKES Level: 4 (+1 die) The ngers on one of my hands turn into serpents that grow long enough to bite foes up to a short distance away. Each serpent (up to ve on a normal hand) makes one attack and, if successful, inicts damage equal to 2 less than the level of the spell and injects the target with a special proximity venom. The venom inicts 1 point of damage each round the target remains within very long range of me. Depletion: When all snakes have made an attack Color: Red
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Indigo
Soundplay
Grey
Stag’s Crown
Gold
Starlight Servant
Pale
Summoned Sycophant
Pale
Vampire’s Breath
Pale
Viuan’s Teleosis
Gold
Voluble Acquaintance
Blue
The Endless Grimoire: General Spells
LEVEL 2 Name
Color
Abandoned Resolve
Blue
Resistentialism
Green
Aerophilous Desire
Green
Scent of Magic
Indigo
A Simple Repast
Silver
Sinuous Snare
Gold
Anamnesis Automatic Writing
Blue Indigo
Barrage
Red
Sleep of the Restless
Blue
Caliginous Raptor
Grey
Split Physicality
Gold
Thaumaturgic Strike
Red
Canorous Plea
Indigo
Chalice of Weal or Woe
Silver
Cleansing
Green
Conjured Lover
Silver
Convivial Relations
Blue
Corpus Replica
Silver
Counterspell
Invisible
Cryptaesthesia
Indigo
Decisiveness of the Blade
Green
Deliquesce
Gold
Dentata
Gold
Dream Intrusion
Blue
Dream Study
Indigo
Exquisite Pain
Blue
Eyes of the Cat
Gold
Eyes of the Hawk
Gold
Falsehood’s Halo
Indigo
Figment
Grey
Firesight
Indigo
Flesh Mail
Invisible
Gibbering Fool
Blue
Hidden Venom
Red
Imbue Knowledge
Indigo
Inculpable Aura
Invisible
Invigilator
Invisible
Lore of the Book
Indigo
Morient Desire
Pale
Patterned Flesh
Grey
Psychic Missive
Blue
R CO N JU RE D LO VE Le ve l: 2 m o f a I c rea te a s i m u lac r u nce I be i ng o f a n y a p pea ra r u m c hoose. T he s i m u lac MIND’S EYE is i nca pa b le o f do i ng THEATER a v i ng Level: 5 (+1 die) a n y t h i ng o t he r t ha n h m f u l co nse ns ua l, no n- ha rI concentrate on a nearby t he r se x ( w i t h me o r a no being, and their thoughts become visual images around be i ng I c hoose ). t for all to see. The n ne x u s their head he n t he W n: io t De p le revelations are always images, r ises o r se ts not words or sounds. These Co lo r: S i l ve r S Oand L U T H images move, cavort, L e ve IE F l: 5 +1 d ilike cling to the target’s( head e ) T he ne t im a seething miasmaxt of thought, e a c re a kno wn to w i th Some vislae ha ve been t ur e ver a Lo d e jur s but the images reveal Con ou their l o f atrue become addicted to the t . g u dr l a e 2 uld as t l e ve d ie s ne s pell as sur el y as the y wo thinking nonetheless. l ar me , t h i e s ir s ou a b Depletion: 0 (check so each r be dround) l i nt o a n o b e ir l ev Color: Blue o f th el o r hi g je c t T hi s c a he r. n b e as a p ow e r s o us ed ur ce f o r a ma i t em , a b g ic a l ar t er in g c hi a s umm p f o r o ne d d e mo n, o w hat e v r er e l se I w i sh C ol or : . P al e F ac et : D ea t h
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LEVEL 3
50
Name
Color
Absconded Truth
Grey
Myrmidon’s Strength
Gold
Agliophobia
Blue
Obtrusion
Blue
Bleeding Darkness
Red
Pass Through the Crowd
Grey
Cardiophagy
Pale
Perculsion
Blue
Chromatic Strike
Varies
Phylactic
Communal Location
Indigo
Pollent Self
Gold
Invisible
Corpse Whisper
Pale
Propitious Swarm
Pale
Crescendo
Gold
Quiddity of Happiness
Blue
Crown of Chains
Silver
Refutation of Threat
Curse of the Closed Eye
Grey
Revanche
Red
Deliration
Blue
Savage Cleave
Red
Demonshriek
Pale
Sealed With a Kiss
Gold
Self-Mutilation
Blue
Servant of Stone
Silver Indigo
Eidolon of Rest
Invisible
Elemental Scar
Red
Invisible
Emerald Blessing
Green
Sight of Touch
Emotional Inversion
Blue
Skeletal Key
Gold
Enhanced Physique
Gold
Slick Steps
Gold
Envenomed Maw
Gold
Spontaneous Spawl
Silver
Ephemeron
Silver
Subtle Vislae
Grey
Escutcheon
Invisible
Temporal Adjustment
Gold
Exacting Eye
Indigo
Twofold Object
Silver
Eye of Immanis
Gold
Unto Shadow
Gold
Eye Spy
Silver
Unwanted Remembrance
Blue
Glare of Enmity
Blue
Unwholesome Aliment
Silver
Grudge
Silver
Venic Touch
Guile’s Tongue
Grey
Watchman Watching
Red Invisible
Hariolation
Indigo
Water Whip
Gold
Heart’s Memento
Silver
Windows to the Soul
Blue
Invidious
Grey
Involucrum
Invisible
Lamentation
Blue
Lift the Curse
Invisible
Magical Heterodyne
Gold
Memory Spew
Blue
Mute Accord
Blue
Mystic Docent
Silver
The Endless Grimoire: General Spells
LEVEL 4 Name
Color
Attaraxia
Blue
Reaching for Gnosis
Indigo
Blood Fruit
Silver
Relentlessness of the Clock
Green Gold
Call the Black Cube
Pale
Restoration of Form
Chronomania
Blue
Sealed Door
Circumambient Assault
Grey
The Seventh Fire
Silver
Clemency
Blue
Six Vital Words
Indigo
Dark Noise
Red
Sleep of the Damned
Blue
Decrescendo
Gold
Soul Compulsion
Blue
Deglutition
Red
Spellbinding
Grey
Dismissed Distance
Green
Stone Pistol
Gold
Dissociative Presence
Indigo
Swarmblood
Silver
Elegy of Opportunity
Pale
Thought Becomes Motion
Green
Epithymy’s Grip
Blue
A Thousand Needles
Red
Execration
Gold
Unt Visions
Gold
Fermata
Gold
Vetanda
Blue
Fingersnakes
Red
Virtuous Compel
Blue
A Flutter of Fetters
Silver
Vitiferous Curse
Green
Godspeed
Green
Wake the Dead
Pale
Halo of Eyes
Silver
Wind’s Blade
Silver
Heart’s Messenger
Silver
Wings of Plenilune
Gold
Interrogator’s Boon
Gold
Witchsight
Limb Possession
Blue
Within Without
Lorica Cuirass
Indigo Gold
Invisible
Memory of Moths
Indigo
Mien of Adaptation
Gold
Negative Sound
Grey
Orientation Adjustment
Gold
Ostinato
Blue
Pathwalker
Green
Peering Into Hearts
Blue
Perfect Execution
Green
Phantasmal Environment
Grey
Prescient Defense
Invisible
Indigo
Prosopagnosia
Grey
Quintessence of Dust
Red
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LEVEL 5 Name
Color
Agonothymic Confrontation
Blue
Apperception
Indigo
Name
Color
Anabiosis
Pale
Baptism of Flame
Invisible
Borrowed Time
Pale
The Cloud of Unknowing
Blue
Carious Touch
Pale
Conjoinment
Gold
Catoptromancy
Indigo
Control the Black Cube
Pale
Circle of Luctus
Red
Corpse’s Former Master
Pale
Confused Allegiances
Blue
Debellate
Blue
Conjured Casement
Invisible
A Curse of Feathers
Red
Dreamseeker Eldritch Escutcheon Entreat the Black Cube
Indigo Invisible Pale
Emblem of Agreement
Indigo
Evanescence
Grey
Implication Aversion
Grey
Loose the Vilaj
Pale
Marionette
Blue
Fictional Savagery
Silver
Mind’s Interface
Blue
Hemakinesis
Green
Negate the Power
Invisible
Hunt the Lost
Indigo
Nyctophilia
Gold
Illuminist Challenge
Blue
Obliviscent Gift
Blue
Infuse Remains
Pale
Perdious Assault
Blue
Indigo
Possessing Ghost
Blue
Insightful Analysis Ktheris’s Fusion
Gold
Quiddity of Corrosion
Red
Midnight’s Occupation
Pale
Reduction of Life
Gold
Mind’s Eye Theater
Blue
Refusal
Green
Mortiferum
Pale
Sensory Infusion
Blue
Obdurate Barrier
Varies
Sigilshield
Silver
Oily Seeker
Silver
Soul Rider
Blue
Psychokinetic Hand
Silver
Stir the Dead
Pale
Quickening
Green
Stone’s Hands
Silver
Quiddity of Truth
Indigo
Suspend
Gold
Thalassic Deluge
Silver
Green
Timeblade
Silver
Invisible
Unbinding
Invisible
Red Presence Restorative Touch Smoke Shield
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LEVEL 6
Red
Soul Thief
Pale
Vanish From Sight
Grey
Spell of Challenge
Blue
Witchstep
Green
Tonitruous Burst
Red
Unfair Exchange
Green
Whelve
Grey
Wings of Fear
Gold
The Endless Grimoire: General Spells
LEVEL 7
LEVEL 10
Name
Color
Circumvallation
Name
Color
Silver
Kaleidoscope Void
Green
Color Door
Pale
Master the Black Cube
Pale
Color Shield
Invisible
Revivication
Pale
Consignment
Green
Death’s Secret
Pale
Expansive Arena
Pale
Extirpation
Red
Name
Color
Ineable Thought
Blue
Back to Shadow
Grey
Nightmare Weather
Blue
Perdurance
Green
Palingenesis
Pale
Reected Spell
Invisible
Reorientation
Gold
Shadesoul
Pale
Timeworm Vision
Indigo
Voraginous Sphere
Red
Snu the Divine
Invisible
LEVEL 11
Name
Color
Superction
Silver
Name
Color
Bind the Black Cube
Pale
Color
LEVEL 17
Apocatastasis
Green
Name
Color
Death Ward
Pale
Merge With the Black Cube
Pale
Empery
Blue
Entrapment
Silver
Ignipotence
Gold
Lorica Squamata
Invisible
Mental Sequestration
Blue
Oneiric Wish
Blue
Revocation of Position
Green
Shifting Landscape
Gold
True to Life
Green
Warping Conduit
LEVEL 14
Name
Pale
LEVEL 12
LEVEL 8
Haunt Object
Pale
LEVEL 9 Name
Color
Heaven and Earth Are Mine
Silver
Nine
Gold
Respire
Invisible
Touch of the Demiurge
Grey
Triggered Spell
Gold
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54
VANCE SPELLS
T
here are those who believe it pretentious that the Vancian Order has its own spells. Spells are spells, these people say. They belong to everyone. But to a Vance, spells are a very personal thing. Vances wear their spells (metaphorically) on their breasts the way generals display their medals. T hey believe they are dened by the spells they know. “A Vance is their spells,” the saying goes. So to a member of that order, it’s vitally important that they have their own spells. In fac t, many Vances craft their own spells. When they do, they often attach their own name to the spell—it is their legacy. “A Vance whose spells are cast by others will never truly die,” according to another saying. For many of the order, they are closer to the spells they’ve created than they are to their own children. And since Vances believe spells to be living, intelligent beings, in a very literal way, a newly created spell is their ospring. Creating a spell is giving birth. It is creating life that perpetuates itself in the mind of other like-minded folk (other Vances). Nothing overtly distinguishes a Vancian spell from a non-Vancian one other than that Vancian spells were created by Vances and must be prepared and cast using their unique method. It is true, however, that Vances tend to favor overt, straightforward magical eects rather than subtler ones. Most Vancian spells are ashy displays of energy with relatively uncomplicated eects. Vance spells have levels like any spell, but they are grouped into four categories of increasing power (and increasing mental space): alpha, beta, gamma, and omega. Each can be represented by a rectangle of increasing size, available to be arranged
Additional Target, page 85
on a rectangle that represents the Vance’s mind. If the spells can be arranged to t within the mind diagram, the Vance can store them all at once in their mind, ready to be cast. When cast, a Vance can choose to spend Sorcery equal to the spell’s level to hold the spell in their mind. Otherwise, the spell is cast (with no Sorcery cost), but it is gone until it is prepared and stored once again. In the case of casting a spell with no Sorcery cost, if anything such as a secret or a benecial turn of a Sooth card would normally decrease the Sorcery cost, it provides no benet. On the other hand, anything that would increase the Sorcery cost incurs an increase as if there had been a cost. For example, the Additional Target secret would require an expenditure of Sorcery equal to half the spell’s normal Sorcery cost.
VANCE SPELL PREPARATION The brains of powerful dead Vances are sometimes preserved and used as means to store magical energies or knowledge.
The preparation and study process takes a Vance about an hour. It requires quiet study with books and notes of their own creation. They’re of minimal use to anyone else, although a vislae could probably look at a Vance’s notes and suss out what spells they know. This hard-and-fast requirement of materials means a traveling Vance will likely have t o bring a satchel for such materials wherever they go. Stripped of their materials, a Vance can’t prepare Vance spells. A Vance can replace the books and notes on their own, but it requires about a day of work for every t wo Vance spells known. The preparation can be done multiple times in one day, allowing a Vance to change out the spells they have in their mind. However, every time a
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Vance performs the preparation process, any currently active Vance spells deplete automatically. A spell cannot be prepared more than once at a time, even if there is space.
VANCE SPELL TABLES ALPHA SPELLS Name
VANCE SPELLS You will nd all the Vance spells on special cards sized to use in the diagram found on the Vance Spellcasting handout in the Black Cube.. The cards themselves have all the spells’ individual details. There are also blank cards for you to add your own, original spells. They are listed here for your convenience.
BAAROTH’S AGGRESSIVE DOT Level: 10 (+3 dice) I create a black dot of pure darkness and void. It is a single point in space, although the fact that it absorbs light makes it appear to be about 2 inches (5 c m) across. It is not aected by gravity or any other force, but I can control its position, moving it a short distance if I concentrate for one round. T he dot annihilates anything ORROD’S VANISHING SWARM it touches, whether matter or energy. It basically makes Level: 6 a 2-inchahole object barrier. It adestroys any inI summon hordeinofany moths that or utter around place target magical eectthan (likeme. a wall energy). I can attempt single no larger Afterofa round, they disappear, and target is invisible. If the the target is to use this asthe a weapon, directing dot toward a acreature, creature, making an attack (including a magical but it is dicult to do so, and the target always attack) or suering damage is the only way to gets +3 to their Dodge action. A being touched by the dot disrupt the invisibility. suers Ends 4 Wounds. Depletion: automatically when the sun next ORROD’S Depletion: each round) FLOOD rises or sets 0 (checkIMPOSSIBLE Color: Color: Grey Red Level: 4 I make a small area within long range
ll with water over the course of one
round. Air-breathing creatures in the area must swim out, if possible, or they risk drowning. Depletion: 0–3 (check each hour) BUELLA’S LAMP Color: Silver
Level: 1 I ll the medium area around me with bright light, as if I had a powerful lamp. Depletion: 0–3 (check each hour) Color: Silver
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Level
Buella’s Lamp
1
The Master’s Blessing
1
Zuil’s Profuse Admiration
1
Eyes of the Overworld
2
Norham’s Sea of Words
2
Pallent’s Mouthpiece
2
The Perilous Leap of the Desperate
2
Thelassin’s Eager Grasp
2
Watti’s Quick Servant
2
Zamrah’s Bolt of Sorrow
2
Lastra’s Charm
3
Lastra’s Neutral Color
3
Mirrored Flesh of the Glass Emperor
3
Moridiv’s Egregious Etiquette
3
Protecting Hand of the Divine
3
BETA SPELLS Name
Level
Abra’s Physique
4
Formidable Fist of Fury
4
Haxel’s Sympathetic Tattoo
4
Maitlan’s Transfer of Power
4
Orrod’s Impossible Flood
4
Stare of the Abyss
4
Subuchin’s Thousandth Word
4
Untouchable Cloud
4
Uriale’s Vecordious Action
4
Aothrasal’s Vaporous Coercion
5
Furnour’s Fox
5
In the Grip of the Darkening Beast
5
Uzuskora’s Quadripartite Assault
5
Vision of the Nemesis
5
Zamrah’s Familiar Speech
5
Vance Spells
GAMMA SPELLS Name
Level
Karko’s Bound Thought
6
Levin’s Puzzling Flaw
6
Melitizor’s Volant Defense
6
Novinin’s Forgetful Tone
6
Orrod’s Vanishing Swarm
6
The Pattern of Unwanted Mystery
6
Rain of Seething Fire
6
Soothing Touch of Flowering Queens
6
Touched by the Maelstrom
6
Canyons of Static
7
Laspi’s Impenetrable Course
7
Orabavon’s Emancipation
7
Styzen’s Cold Eye
7
Should a Vance want to use a Vancian spell in a non-Vancian fashion—that is to say, simply casting it using Sorcery without rst storing the spell in their mind— this is possible, but the spell must be converted. This requires twice the amount of time to learn the spell in the rst place, but no additional Acumen. The spell then cannot be used in a Vancian fashion. Should a non-Vance want to learn a Vancian spell so that it can be used in a non-Vancian fashion, this too is possible, but it requires a Vancian teacher, quadruple the normal amount of time to learn a spell of that level, and twice the Acumen cost. Most Vancians would never willingly teach someone not of their order, and in fact doing so would be grounds for punishment or even expulsion.
VANCE SPELLCASTING CASTING A VANCIAN SPELL
OMEGA SPELLS Name
CONVERTING VANCIAN SPELLS
1. 2.
Level
Jeremgon’s Opalescent Knowledge
8
Orabavon’s Brazen Forbiddance
8
Jauro’s Fictive Form
9
The Spell of Reciprocal Apotheosis
9
Yavom’s Concave Diculty
9
Baaroth’s Aggressive Dot
10
Rajimal’s Amputated Moment
10
3.
4.
The Vance chooses a spell they have stored in their mind. If the Vance does not want to keep the spell when they are done casting, there is no Sorcery cost. Otherwise, they pay a cost in Sorcery equal to the spell’s level and retain the ability to cast it again later. If a roll is required, they calculate the venture of the action, which includes: ✦ the level of the spell ✦ additional bene spent (if any) ✦ any circumstantial modifers, as determined by the GM The venture is subtracted from the challenge, and the result is what the Vance player needs to roll on a die. The spell will indicate if it adds enhancements of one or more dice. Typically, the player rolls two dice, hoping to roll the target number or higher on at least one of them.
Mind of the Postulant
CONVERTING NON-VANCIAN SPELLS Vances may wish to learn other spells and use them in their Vancian spell method, storing them in their mind for later. This requires t wice the amount of time to learn the spell in the rst place, but no additional Acumen. A spell can be placed within a Vancian spell class using these guidelines:
Mind of the Magister
Mind of the Magus
Level 1–3 Level 4–5 Level 6–7 Level 8–10
alpha class beta class gamma class omega class
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58
THE MAKER’S MATRIX
T
he old tale always goes something like this: A Maker, a Weaver, and a Vance climb a hill. They see a river they need to cross. The Vance says, “I have a spell within my mind that will get me across,” and she casts it, inging
herself up into the air and over the river. The Weaver says, “I can weave threads of magic to give me wings to y across,” and then
does exactly as he describes. The Maker says nothing. She picks up a stone from the riverbank and goes back home. Later, the Maker catches up with the other two as they stand on the bank of yet another river. “I’ve cast my last spell for today,” the Vance says. “I’ve exhausted my power,” the Weaver says. “We’ll never be troubled by barriers like this again,” the Maker says, as she takes out the stone, now inscribed with arcane symbols. The stone grows into a bridge, and the three cross the river. The bridge returns to its form as a stone. The Maker picks it up, puts it in her pocket, and the three continue on. Makers make. It’s what they do. The process is costly in terms of time and money, but the results are extraordinary. The Maker’s Matrix is the name given to the system for determining how a Maker creates a magical item. It’s used whenever a Maker wishes to make anything magical.
TIME REQUIRED Kindled items are easier to make than ephemera or objects of power. In the case of kindled items, don’t use the Maker’s Matrix. Ignore the level of the item. If the Maker has at least 2 levels in a skill that is appropriate to the item (leatherworking for leather items, sewing for cloth items, and so on), they automatically make the item—there is no roll needed. The materials usually cost half of the cost of the given item, and creation takes two to ve days, depending on the item.
Eects by Level table, page 21
Assuming that a Maker has all the materials, ingredients, and so on at hand, the process takes two days per item level, plus one day for every challenge failed during the process. If at any point the Maker does not have a needed component (a stabilizer, perhaps, if things start to go really wrong), they have about six hours to procure it before the entire process becomes a mishap. This extra time is added to the total time needed for the creation. A Maker can attempt to speed up the process, but for every day shaved o the total, all challenges involved are 1 level higher.
THE PROCESS The Maker starts by identifying the magical item they want to make. The eect dictates the level required, as found on the Eects by Level table. This is then modied by the kind of item being made—specically, how often it can be used before the magic depletes (minimum, level 1). Item Ephemera (one use)
Level Modier −1
Object of power, depletion: 0–4+
0
Object of power, depletion 0–2
+1
Object of power, depletion 0–1
+2
Object of power, depletion 0
+3
Object of power, no depletion, constant (if even applicable to the eect)
+4
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The nal level is the amount of Sorcery the Maker invests in the process. For the duration of the process, the Maker’s Sorcery pool faces this deduction. Thus, once the Maker starts making something, their Sorcery pool is lower than normal until it is completed. Next, the Maker takes material appropriate to the item (metal for a knife, leather for shoes, and so on) that is also of a level equal to the desired eect. Then comes the rst of many challenges, always starting at level 1. The Maker can use Intellect bene to increase their venture, and they can add any applicable skill (woodworking, metalworking, and the like, as appropriate to the item). Makers cannot use Sortilege while crafting items. Success on the rst challenge means that the Maker adds a level 2 ingredient and then attempts another challenge, this time level 2. If successful, they add a level 3 ingredient and attempt a level 3 challenge. And so on. This process continues until the Maker succeeds at a challenge equal to the level of the desired eect. At this point, the Maker then adds a power source equal to the eect level of the item and attempts one last challenge at 1 level higher than the desired level of the item. Success means that the item is created. That’s what happens when all the challenges involved are successful. Failures lead down a dierent path, where catalysts or even stabilizers must be added to continue the process. Failures also increase the levels of future challenges involved in the process, meaning that a Maker might end up facing much more dicult challenges than they originally planned for. At any point in the process, the Maker can opt to quit. If they do so after successfully adding an ingredient, they get an item with a random eect. If the Maker quits at any other time in the process, a mishap occurs.
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MATERIALS, INGREDIENTS, CATALYSTS, STABILIZERS, AND POWER SOURCES THE KEY Goods, page 183
THE KEY Crafting Materials, page 192
With consultation from the GM, a Maker could intentionally attempt to work a side eect into an item to lower its in-process level. This is dierent from its nal level, which does not change. The in-process level would only be used to determine the diculty of the rolls the Maker needs to make. In general, a minor side eect lowers the level by 1, and a major side eect lowers it by 2. These level alterations are only for side eects introduced intentionally before the process even begins.
Examples of various materials, ingredients, and so on can be found in the goods lists, but many more such substances exist. Makers should be discovering new substances for their work all the time. Prices for each level should remain the same as those in the lists, however. A sharp-eyed vislae will notice that the goods lists don’t have examples or prices for crafting materials over level 10. T hat’s because such materials should be extraordinary, even in the context of the other things on the list. Rather than being something a Maker can purchase, each required substance that is above level 10 should be a unique discovery—an incredible nd or the object of an entire expedition to a remote locale. T his means that crafting items above level 10 is a momentous undertaking, and that’s as it should be.
SIDE EFFECTS Side eects are undesired secondary eects or requirements accidentally worked into an item due to an error in the process. This could be a aw in a material, a mistake by the Maker, or simply bad fortune. Side eects can aect the nal value of an item (almost certainly lowering it), but they do not change its nal level. The side eects presented here are quite specic. The GM is encouraged to alter the details, using the lists as examples.
